


Big Bad World One

by n_nami



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Family, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance, office!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-20
Updated: 2012-03-20
Packaged: 2017-11-02 06:49:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 29,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/366135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/n_nami/pseuds/n_nami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Office AU, where Dean is a janitor and Sam is a lawyer, working for the same company. And they meet cutie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Big Bad World One

It was Thursday, which was definitely Dean's favorite day of the week.

Not because it was the day before Friday, which practically was already weekend, but because Thursday was his day to repair the air conditioner on the second floor.

The whole second floor in the company's building was an open space office with cubicles, and the employees who worked there were mostly just support guys. They were the guys you spoke to on the phone when you called the hotline, the ones who had to deal with all the bitching customers that didn't try turning it off and on again. Most of them, Dean didn't deign to look at.

But there was in fact a special one. Castiel Novak said the name badge on his particular cubicle, and he was... well. Different.

Dean had met him when the AC really had malfunctioned for the first time, a few weeks back, maybe months by now. Castiel had the second desk from where the AC was fixed to the wall, and from the first moment Dean stepped into that open space office, Castiel had caught his eye. Dark brown, messed up hair, a 5 o'clock shadow on his cheeks, wearing the company's shirt and black dress pants. All of this plus the most intense, mesmerizing pair of baby blue eyes the janitor had ever seen.

Yeah, right, because Dean was the janitor. For two years now, he had worked for this company, Wesson enterprises, a huge manufacturer and retailer for PC components. He had always been good at working with his hands, getting himself greasy and sweaty was nothing he minded. The job was fun, all in all, because it gave variety. He was the one that got called when the coffee machine was on strike for no obvious reason, or when the director's car just wouldn't start, or when the AC on the second floor produced just more hot air instead of the cool version thereof. In May, when the first warm summer breeze swept over the city.

And there sat Castiel – what a strange name, and Dean had long since begun to call him "Cas" whenever he thought about him, which was fairly often lately – just a few feet away, headset on his head, talking into his micro with one hell of a deep, guttural voice. A voice that when Dean had first heard it, he stopped working on the AC involuntarily for a moment or two (or three) to just stare into the machine and let that smooth rumble of words swash over him. This voice was badass, and bedroom, and Dean could imagine very well how Cas could simply talk someone to orgasm.

He had been so distracted that he didn't notice the single screw he forgot to drill back to where it belonged.

Two weeks later, on a Thursday yet again, Dean had got a call to his work cell – the AC on the second floor was rattling so loud that they had to turn it off. Talking to someone on the phone was impossible, which was kind of semi-optimal for a call-center. When Dean had hurried over to the open space office, the people were sweating and complaining, and he did his best to fix the AC as soon as possible.

And because it was the beginning of June, and yet another hot day, and even warmer in the room because of the malfunctioning AC, Dean had taken off his jacket. That way, he repaired the machine wearing only his blue overall and a plain white shirt underneath. It was old and kinda grey-ish from too many wash cycles in the washing machine, with old stains on it that would never vanish again. It wasn't supposed to be seen, but working in this particular shirt hadn't exactly been Dean's intention when he pulled it on this morning. He just liked it because it fitted perfectly, maybe just a bit to tight around his arms and chest.

Therefore, it was still surprising to him when he turned around shortly to get a screwdriver from his tool box, wiping away the sweat from his forehead with the back of his palm, and found Castiel staring directly at him. Dean swallowed heavily at the glance in his eyes, but mostly because of the display of Cas' perfect face. Plush, full and very kissable lips, a single stubborn hair strand curling onto his forehead, that damn stubble and those breathtaking blue eyes, blown wide open and staring at Dean.

When their eyes met, it was maybe just for a second or two, but Dean stood there, completely frozen half-way through his work and couldn't look away. It was the blonde-haired guy sitting next to Castiel who broke the awkward moment by throwing a red paper clip at his head. Dean quickly turned back to the AC.

"Heya, Cassie, time for lunch?" Dean heard the guy asking in a very weird mash-up of different accents.

"Just give me ten more minutes," Castiel had answered. "I'd like to finish this."

And Dean hadn't been so sure what he meant exactly, as he turned his back on him during that conversation. But when they had gone on lunch break a few minutes later, Dean exchanged one last glance with Cas before he left the room. It was too quick to shoot him a smile, unfortunately.

Dean had silently gone back to fix the AC. And he had found out about the screw he had forgotten. But damn, if that screw got him to the second floor, into this very room every two weeks... He totally had to take that chance – and didn't apply the screw properly.

Promptly, the next Thursday the AC was rattling yet again, and Dean all but grinned triumphantly when he got the call to fix it. But instead of giving in to his joy, he simply stated that the machine apparently was crap and that he would fix it as soon as possible. He never had much to do like this – he knew it was just the single screw – but it always took Dean forever to disassemble the whole machine to reach the loose screw. That way he would always have at least an hour in the office to repair it. And he had the benefit of a really interesting guy a few feet away from him.

As it turned out, the blonde guy's name was Balthazar, and he was apparently Castiel's office buddy. The only one. He didn't talk much when he wasn't on the phone with a customer, and if he talked, it was with Balthazar only.

Dean only got the stares, the long looks, and he had come to a state where he felt a prickle in his neck as soon as Cas' eyes were resting on him. Every so often, he would casually turn around and look back, just to see Castiel turn away quickly.

He didn't even know what he was doing there. If there was any chance that this – whatever it was – would evolve into something – whatever he hoped it to be. Dean had no idea whatsoever. For now, he knew he loved his Thursdays because it would be Cas' days.

Maybe he would talk to him one day.

"What is it with you? For this time of the day, you're in a disgustingly happy mood," Sam yawned when he had seen him this morning. They shared an apartment, just because of convenience, and despite his brother's flaws, he was a practicable roommate. They had gotten used to each other over the years. Unfortunately, this resulted in the fact that Sam could read Dean like a book. Sometimes.

"Oh screw you," Dean snarled half-heartedly.

"Don't tell me there is nothing going on. And don't tell me you've hit on the bosses' secretary again. No matter what you think, she's not interested," Sam answered, reaching for his toothbrush and paste.

"It's not the secretary," Dean had answered quietly, in a way too suggestive tone, which surely wasn't intended.

But Sam picked up on it instantly. "Oh. Oh! So who else is it, then?" and the bastard even had the nerve to grin smugly at him in the mirror.

Dean rolled his eyes. "No one."

"Now you're being childish. Answer me, or I'll bug you for the rest of the day. Until you tell me," Sam nudged his side with his elbow.

"Look who's talking," Dean deadpanned. Damn Sam. "It's just... I'll have to repair the AC in the second floor today-"

"The one that's constantly broken? In the call-center?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, that one."

"Nice girl running around there?" Sam raised his eyebrows questioning when Dean didn't continue.

"Nope. It's... look, dude, I have no clue what's going on. But there's this guy, and I just... ugh, forget it," Dean shook his head and left the bathroom, admittedly freaking out a bit from his own reaction. What should he tell Sam? That the guy had stupidly wonderful blue eyes? That he made his stomach kinda tingle and letting him feel nervous, like, high-school-nervous, when he stood there working on the AC?

Sam was after him pretty quickly. "Wait. Wai-wai-waaaait. You're crushing on a dude?" he asked in disbelief. The grin on his face was both surprised and... happy. Which Dean only commented with a groan.

"I'm not in love with the guy, Sam, c'mon. I'm straight."

"Yeah, whatever makes you sleep at night. Anyway, have you ever talked to him?" Sam inquired further.

Dean was actually a bit embarrassed when he shook his head and avoided his brother's gaze.

"Not once? Not one hello?"

"Nope."

"I don't want to hear that when I come home tonight. You talk to the guy today, are we clear?" Sam actually had the nerve to even rebuke him like their mom would have, even in her usual tone, and it made Dean sigh in defeat. "You'll thank me later."

"Fine," Dean snarled, but inwardly, he was way too much looking forward to today to really be angry at Sam. Besides, his giant little brother had a point. Maybe talking to Cas would be-

"What's his name, by the way?" Sam interrupted his train of thought.

"Cas," Dean answered quick like a shot, and only then noticed he had used the nickname he had come up with for himself. "I mean... His full name is Castiel Novak."

"Huh," Sam quirked an eyebrow at him. "I'm less worried about that weird-ass name than about the fact that you already got a nickname for him."

"Oh, shut your cakehole and get a move on. We gotta go to work."

Sam tied the simple black tie around his neck and adjusted it. After a short check in the mirror, he was good to go. The suit still fitted perfectly. As one of the lawyers working for Wesson, he was supposed to at least wear a blazer at work, but today's outfit was especially neat.

"Even for you, that's a bit overdressed. Why the suit up?" Dean asked suspiciously and quirked an eyebrow, just when they went down to the parking garage for their car – Dean's cherished black '67 Impala.

"Company party today. The new boss will be introduced, he got promoted from a different department. And I want to make a good first expression."

Dean just snorted when he looked down at his usual blue overall. He may also wear a tight black t-shirt underneath today. Not for Cas, obviously. The janitor was just curious how he would react once he saw him in this one.

Okay, maybe the t-shirt was especially for Cas.

***

The office party was just as lame as Sam had expected it to be. All the lawyers of his department had been invited, and all the partners and CEOs were there as well. Nibbles and tiny sweet baked goods, together with flute glasses filled with sparkling wine, which Sam despised. To he just ate a few, small bits while talking to his co-workers. The bosses were on their own, as always, and if they actually wanted to talk to one of their employees, they would come over. That's how it always was at this kind of party.

The nibbles were actually kinda good.

So when Sam excused himself to get a few more and sauntered across the room, he was pretty surprised to meet a new face at the buffet table.

The man was ridiculously short, a good foot shorter than Sam anyway. And Sam was used to jokes about his size, about how the air was up there and all – heard it thousands of times – but he wasn't used to towering over someone that much. So it could have been because of the size difference that the guy seemed so adorable, which was the first adjective coming to Sam's mind when he saw him.

He wore a suit, just as everybody else, but his tie was slightly loosened and the first button of his white button-up was popped open. He had curly, semi-long brunette hair and when he looked up at Sam, matching warm, honey-brown eyes and a gentle smile. Allover, he seemed like a nice guy.

"Hey there, I think I haven't seen you before," the man said amused when Sam had maybe stared for a bit too long at him. "And considering your size, I wonder how I could possibly overlook you," he added grinning.

Sam chuckled. If there was one guy allowed to joke about his height, it surely was this one. He also had to admit that he liked the shorter one's voice, it fit perfectly – warm and bubbling and friendly. So Sam quickly extended his hand towards him. "The name's Winchester. I'm one of the lawyers."

"You got a first name, Mr. Winchester?" the other one asked back, grasping Sam's hand and squeezing it firmly. A nice, trustworthy handshake, accompanied by a short waggle of eyebrows.

"Sam," the lawyer answered, smiling. It wasn't a strange occurrence to be asked for one's first name around here. In his department, they mostly were on a first name basis.

"Heya, Sam. I'm Gabriel," the smaller man answered, letting go of Sam's hand now.

"Hello Gabriel, nice to meet you. So, new here?" Sam asked conversationally and reached for a paper plate and a few more nibbles.

"Yeah, first day," Gabriel answered, helping himself to some baked goods. He apparently had a sweet tooth, which also- Sam should really stop thinking of the word 'adorable'.

"And, what's your first impression?"

"Well, as far as I met them, the guys are all pretty nice and friendly. Plus, you've got a pretty cool working atmosphere over here, so I'm really relieved. You know what they say about lawyers," he grinned up at Sam, who promptly-

No, he didn't just involuntarily hold his breath. Not because of a simple grin of a guy he just met.

Sam tried to dub the awkward moment with a gentle laugh. "Well, there's a reason we're working for a big company instead of being freelance lawyers," he smiled back at Gabriel. "We aren't typical lawyers."

"Yeah, thank god. By the way, I heard you guys did a very good job with the Stevenson-case," Gabriel nodded approvingly. The Stevenson-case was a lawsuit because of copyright infringement that had been running for years and years now.

"Thanks. That had been a tough one, that's true. It's a shame, though, that they handed it over to the guys in Austin. They don't know shit about it, we've run that lawsuit for years, and now they're giving it to them? Just because they're the experts for copyright? Please," Sam huffed lightly and took a bite from one of the nibbles on his plate.

Gabriel started to grin slowly before swallowing the mouthful of muffin he was currently munching on. "The new boss ordered that, right?"

"Yes, he did."

"So, first decision of him and you already call bullshit on that one?" Gabriel winks.

"Apparently, yes. But I'm really excited to meet him, anyway. Hear he must be a cool guy."

Suddenly, a shout from the other end of the room interrupted their conversation. "Excuse me, Mr. Milton, would you please come over here?"

Gabriel turned around quickly and waved. "On the way!"

Turning his eyes towards the man with the camera in hand, Sam's brain worked. Milton. Now where did he hear that name lately-

Right, the invitation for today's party. The list of speeches.

'Introduction of the new head of department, Mr. Milton'.

Oh, crap. The shock on his face must have been obvious, as the honey-brown eyes in front of him sparkled amused.

Gabriel seemed to take it pretty well, and even nudged Sam slightly with his elbow, before he excused himself.

***

Sam sighed deeply when he sat down on Dean's table in the cafeteria. They were still having lunch together, after all these years of living together. It was something Sam looked forward to – bitching to Dean when he had a horrible day. Never failed to raise his mood when he was down or pissed.

"Dude, the day I had," he moaned and buried his face in his hands.

Dean was currently stuffing his mouth with fries, and spoke with his mouth full when he asked back. "What happened?"

"Oh, nothing," Sam cranked the irony up to eleven, "I just called bullshit on my new boss on the first day."

"You did what?" Dean retorted and almost spit part of the french fries in his direction.

"Told him that I thought it was crap to give the Stevenson-case to the department in Austin, didn't know that he was my new boss. God, he's going to hate me," the lawyer finally decided that he hadn't bought his salad to let it wither in its box and lifted the cover of the box.

"What did he say?"

"He just grinned at me, then he had to go. Didn't talk to him for the rest of the day." Besides, he most likely would have been too nervous to get out a single straight sentence of apology. "Oh, man. He seemed like such a nice guy, we had been talking for a bit, and then - this bummer."

"Hey, he probably didn't take it that bad. I don't think you should go apologize or some shit like that, just wait what he's doing. Now stop moping and eat those dead plants in there," Dean snorted, and just him being who he always was made Sam almost smile again.

Bitching to Dean about the horrible days he had never failed to raise his mood. And the jerk that was his big brother could even be supportive, who would've guessed that.

***

Dean had done most of his work in the morning, so he wouldn't need to hurry with the AC in the afternoon, which seemed like a good plan.

Castiel was talking on the phone when Dean stepped into the room and walked down the aisle towards the AC and Cas' desk. The dark-haired man even looked up shortly from his monitor when Dean passed by, and the janitor smiled reflexively at him before he realized it.

Okay, so maybe the smile had been a bit too wide. Maybe it had been a bit too friendly when he considered he didn't even know the guy already.

But, hell, Dean was rewarded with a gentle, small smile and a direct look into his eyes. Castiel didn't smile often, even to Balthazar, that much he had already noticed. Speaking of Balthazar, his desk was empty today, but he most likely just had the day off. But what did he care, he had just been on the receiving end of one of the most rare and beautiful smiles he had ever seen.

Dean swallowed heavily. Damnit, Sam was right. But crushing on a dude? Who was most likely straight? Dean sighed silently and opened his toolbox to take the AC apart.

Then Gordon walked into the room, and Dean sighed again, but from annoyance this time. He hated Gordon's guts. The guy was practically the bully of the call-center, and Dean heard him giving his co-workers a hard time almost every time he was there. The guy was an asshole, from head to toe, and Dean clenched his jaw when he walked past him.

He tried to ignore Gordon, until his snarky voice reached his ears.

"Hey, Casteeel," he said, emphasizing the name in the completely wrong way, and obviously doing so on purpose. "Got nothing to do?"

"Well, I-" Cas began, but was interrupted quickly.

"Oh, I see, you're just sitting there on your thumbs. Don't stare around the room like that, you creepy stalker," he huffed. "Just because your over-protective gay buddy – or should I say lover? - isn't here today doesn't mean you can do what you want. Have to defend yourself for a change, huh?" There was a short beat, and then Dean heard the word "fag" hissed with so much hate in it that he finally snapped.

No one insulted Castiel, not on his watch. The dude was a nice guy and even if he wasn't – no one deserved to be treated like that.

"Hey, Gordon," Dean said loudly so that everybody heard him and turned their attention to him. "Was it lonely in high school? So you even need to bully poor guys at work to feel better? You know that you just insulted him in a way that could get you fired. Believe it or not, I may be just the janitor, but my brother has his desk in the law department. I think I'll tell him what you just called Cas. A nice harassment lawsuit, what about that?" Dean raised his eyebrows suggestively, now standing beside Castiel's desk after strolling towards him and Gordon as he spoke.

Gordon gaped at him, completely speechless. The rest of the office – as far as they weren't talking on the phone – was deadly quiet, waiting for either Gordon or Dean to react.

"What, should I spell it out for you? Apologize, jerk. And next time I'll hear something like that, my brother hears from you," the janitor added. "Or don't apologize and you'll see what you get."

"Pff, you're bluffing," Gordon finally huffed and pursed his lips. He didn't seem much convinced of his own words, though.

"Wanna look him up? It's Sam Winchester, you know, like the Winchester here-" he pointed at the name badge on his overall, which said 'D. Winchester'.

One muttered "Sorry" at Castiel later, Gordon was gone. Dean sighed relieved, and so did Castiel.

"Thank you," he said quietly at the janitor. The call-center slowly returned to its usual noise level.

"Don't mention it," Dean said, smiling reassuringly at the dark-haired man in front of him. "He deserves it. He's always like that, isn't he?"

Cas looked up at him and nodded. "Unfortunately, he is."

"Promise me one thing. If he ever makes a comment like this towards you or any other one in here again, call me and I'll let Sam take care of getting his sorry ass fired, okay?" Dean said intently. He felt surprisingly calm for the fact that he was having a conversation with Castiel for the first time.

"I most definitely will. And please, I'm really grateful that you stepped in here. You see, I'm not that brave or anything to stand up against him. Gordon had always been complicated to handle and additionally he never fails to remind me of a classmate of mine from high school, who tended to insult me of the exact same thing," Castiel explained, and Dean found himself practically sucking every word up, bathing in the pleasant deep rumble that was Cas' wonderful voice. "So, I would really like to thank you. Would you appreciate to have coffee with me?" The last two sentences came out hurriedly and almost whispered, and Dean felt goosebumps rising on his skin.

Castiel was... asking him out. Well, more or less. And suddenly, the nervousness that had been missing beforehand hit him hard, and Dean found himself gasping for air for a moment.

Those fucking baby blue eyes were still resting on him, waiting patiently for an answer. And a small smile was tugging at the edges of those full lips.

Finally, Dean jolted. "Yes, I'd love to."

If the smile on Castiel's lips was anything to go by, Dean had just made him ridiculously happy. The expression made his chest clench and his stomach twist and everything was suddenly breathtaking for Dean.

"Should we meet in the break room later?" he managed.

Castiel shook his head and answered quietly. "No, I was more thinking of an actual café, with cake and pie, you know."

Okay. Not the break room, but definitely a date. All Dean was able to do at this point was nod.

"What about half past 5 at Lucy's?" Castiel suggested.

"I'm in," Dean said, grinning. Lucy's was his favorite café around here, and they had the most amazing apple pie in town. This plus Cas? God, this was the most perfect Thursday ever.

"Oh, and... I didn't catch your name yet, I guess," the dark-haired man said with a questioning look in his blue eyes. Then he extended his hand towards the janitor. "Castiel, but I believe you actually know that."

"Yes, I saw your... badge-" Dean pointed at the small sign on the cubicle wall and took Castiel's hand, squeezing it firmly.

"And you called me Cas when you talked to Gordon," a soft smile played around his lips as he retorted.

"Oh, I'm... sorry about that, I don't know how I came to think of it-"

"It's fine. I like the nickname, to be honest. Now please, tell me what the 'D.' in front of the 'Winchester' there means," Castiel still smiled as he nodded towards the name patch.

"Dean."

Castiel looked deep into his eyes, and the intensity of those blue orbs stunned Dean in his place, with Cas' hand still laying in his.

The smile was still there when the other man answered. "Hello, Dean," he said, in that guttural voice of his, and the way his name rolled low off Cas' tongue made Dean shiver. He decided he liked that sound.

***

To say Sam was anticipated was kind of an understatement. He had to take the subway back home as Dean had texted him earlier that he couldn't pick him up. Which was not only highly unusual, but what bugged Sam even more was the text explaining this.

Sam, please take the subway. Gotta go home now. Got plans :)

And there was a freaking smiley at the end of the text. Dean didn't do smileys. Never. So unless something was really, really wrong with him – which Sam doubted – something had happened, and Sam died to hear the news.

He would bet that Castiel was a part of this.

So Sam had expected a lot of things when he came home, but not his brother standing in the middle of the living room, dressed in a way-too-neat pair of jeans – one of the few he had that wasn't ripped somewhere – and a black button-up. Sam whistled approvingly.

"Wow. But you seriously need to explain this to me now," he said while throwing his briefcase in the next corner.

Dean grinned widely at him. "Dude, I've got only ten minutes left. How do I look?"

"Like you've just been showering and perfectly ready to go," Sam reassured, sensing that Dean needed it.

"Thanks. And for the explanation... in a nutshell: we talked, we're having coffee. In ten minutes."

"We as in... you and Castiel?" Sam's eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

Dean simply grinned, which was enough of an explanation.

"Well, then, what are you waiting for? Get your ass out of here!" Sam laughed, and when his brother pushed past him, nudging him in his side as he went, Sam even shouted after him: "Go get him, tiger!"

***

Lucy's was a café merely a few blocks away and Dean took his time to walk there. Just to try and calm his nerves a bit, but to no avail. He arrived there well before half past five, but Castiel was already sitting in the small café, waving at Dean when the latter stepped through the door. The janitor sauntered casually over to him, deliberately overlooking the poorly hidden wonder and amazement in Cas' eyes when he eyed him from head to toe. He apparently liked what he saw, which made Dean grin even wider.

Cas on the other hand had also changed and wore a plaid shirt now, which suited him quite well. As soon as he had reached the table, Castiel reached for the spare chair and pulled him out from under the table. Dean let himself fall down on it with a grin. "Hey, Cas."

"Hello, Dean," Castiel answered in his gravelly voice and held his gaze. They didn't get any further for the time being, as the waitress quickly stood beside their table to hand over the menus.

"What're you having?" Dean asked over the edge of the menu card.

"I'm going to order the apple pie. Seriously, you have to try that. It's one of the best pies you'll ever-"

"Yeah, I know," Dean grinned widely. "It's my favorite, too. I was going to recommend it to you, but..." he left the sentence unfinished.

If Dean wasn't mistaken, the look Cas shot at him was punctuated with gentle affection, and it made Dean shiver with its intensity. Then again, this was just what Cas did to him ever since they had met. It was downright scary how much he felt for the other man already, despite the fact that they knew each other for merely a few hours.

They ordered apple pie and coffee for both of them. Like an old married couple, Dean couldn't help but think, and found the situation kind of amusing.

"So," Dean began carefully once the waitress had left, "Did Gordon give you any more trouble?"

Castiel's eyes met his again when he huffed out a pleased laugh. "Oh, he wouldn't dare, not at the serious threat of losing his job. He spent the rest of the afternoon fuming in a corner."

Dean laughed out loud. "Perfect."

"Thanks again, Dean," the dark-haired man said with a too serious tone in his voice and hesitated for just a moment before he continued quietly. "I have no idea how he does it, but I'd never have enough courage to stand up against him," Cas said, a sudden tired expression on his face as he worried his lip. That was definitely a look Dean didn't like seeing there. But Cas' tone suggested that he wanted to talk about it, so they would.

Holy shit, had he just thought that? Okay, so Cas really made him change. Dean wasn't one to talk about hard topics like this, he preferred the art of suppression. Oh, well.

"Yeah, you said so. But why? No offense, but I mean, he flat-out insulted you of being gay and all-" the janitor quirked a questioning eyebrow at the man in front of him. He knew he wasn't subtle. At all. That had never been one of Dean's strengths, and he didn't even try to dub the obvious question in his statement.

"You know, Dean, just like those bullies back in high school, he kind of has a point. I actually am gay, and I'm not ashamed of it, but-" Castiel left the sentence unfinished and smiled, but worry was written all over his face. Maybe he expected Dean to push him back now that he had confessed. It just made Dean wonder what poor Cas had suffered before to think this way.

"But what about Balthazar being your lover and all? I never figured..." Dean asked instead, swallowing his worries. And damn, that wasn't even less subtle than before. And why the hell was he so nervous about Cas' answer?

"Well, Balthazar is the kind of person who has no restrictions whatsoever when it comes to his sexual preferences. That he is gay and he's got a desk in the same office is pretty much everything we have in common, and we haven't ever had a relationship or anything resembling a closer friendship outside of our job. Balthazar is the kind of guy who 'hits on everything that moves', and I'm not very comfortable with that," Cas explained, and the way he emphasized his last words with air quotation marks was – in Dean's opinion – completely and utterly adorable. "But at least he stopped hitting on me as soon as I made it very clear that I am not interested in any way. To be honest though, I admire that he is so self-confident, because I'm not, and all of this thanks to guys like Gordon." Castiel frowned, another look that Dean quickly set on the list of 'looks I don't like on Cas' face'.

"Look, Cas, you shouldn't take it that hard. Assholes like Gordon exist, unfortunately, and it's a basic principle of life that you stumble across one of them everywhere you go to school or work or... you get the idea. Point is, he is so insecure of himself that he has to bully those who are weaker than him - or he thinks they are - and that is just pathetic and he should be ashamed of himself. See, he's never had the kind of challenges you have or had to face and therefore he truly is the weaker one. He doesn't know what it means to handle this. And although I wasn't bullied in high school for being gay, I can understand you. I had my problems there as well."

Castiel stared at him and Dean wasn't sure if the look in those amazing blue eyes was just surprise or if there was... something else. It made his chest clench. When Cas eventually spoke, it came out a bit too fast and rushed to let it sound marginal. "You're straight, right?" and he swallowed.

Dean blinked. Once, twice. He had no idea what the sudden leap of his stomach should tell him, but it sure as hell felt pretty damn good, despite the nervousness bugging him. Then Dean remembered that he should probably answer the question. "Back then, I was," he said, but added quickly, "But to be honest, I'm not so sure about that lately," he mumbled into his non-existent beard, staring down at the table.

When he looked up and met Castiel's gaze, he was dumbstruck for a moment. There was so much and hope and – interest? happiness? - shining in those stunning blue orbs that Dean's heart almost skipped a beat right there.

"Why is that, if I may inquire?" Castiel asked back, smirking playfully, a look that made Dean almost melt into a puddle of goo. For a moment, he couldn't believe what was happening to him.

Dean returned the smirk, glad that the topic of conversation had finally switched to something less depressing. "Let's just say, I've been thinking a lot about that matter lately but I'm still... confused."

"Are you interested in hearing my theory about it?"

Dean nodded, and couldn't deny that he felt really anticipated for what was to come.

Cas took a deep breath, his eyes still focused on Dean. "I think its the person you fall in love with, not their gender. Although I happen to feel more attracted to guys, physically, I wouldn't say that I couldn't love a woman as well. It just never happened before. And into which box would I probably fit with an opinion like this? Thinking in boxes is obsolete."

Dean stared, and he was aware of it, amazed by Castiel's wonderfully open mind. Yeah, he could probably live with that, so he nodded in agreement.

Castiel huffed bitterly and added, "All of this doesn't mean that my choice of men has been any good so far, though."

"So I get that you're single?" Dean asked tentatively.

The men with the stubby black hair nodded with pursed lips.

"For how long, if I may ask?"

"Three years now," Castiel sighed quietly before focusing back on the janitor. "So, your turn."

"Mostly single for my whole life. Didn't ever have a relationship for more than three weeks, so you couldn't call me the steadiest of guys," Dean screwed up his face. "Kinda justifies why I'm living with my brother. I suck at relationships."

The glance in Cas' eyes turned sad, but Dean was thankful that he didn't probe into that matter any further. "You're living with your brother? Your brother, the lawyer?" he asked.

"Yep, his name is Sam, as I said. Four years younger than me, and pretty good roommate stuff. Our arrangement is working for the time being, because he's single as well. We live just a few blocks away."

"I don't live far from here myself, either," Castiel answered, waving his hand in the direction where Sam and Dean's apartment was as well. "Moved here after my last relationship broke up, I just had to get out of there. Living a couple hundred miles away made it a lot easier to get over it. I don't regret it, even if it meant that giving up my old job and accepting that call-center-job at Wesson's," he shot a small smile up at Dean.

The latter smiled back. "We moved here as soon as Sam went to college. Originally, we hail from Lawrence, Kansas. Our parents still live there."

Castiel frowned shortly. "My mom died a few years back and I never came to know my dad, so I had nothing to keep me there."

Dean nodded sympathetically. "Sorry to hear that, man."

"Don't be."

And so, they talked and talked, about their respective lifes and everything, book and music preferences – they both turned out to be huge fans of AC/DC - and didn't even notice that the waitress had forgot about their order until an hour later. The conversation was light and felt balanced. Dean couldn't remember talking so much in a long while, and Cas looked just the same, and he just enjoyed the other one's company. They were completely on the same page when it came to most opinions, and Cas made Dean laugh on several occasions with his dry, dark humor.

When Dean looked at his watch, he almost jumped. "Dude, nine p. m. - we should probably head home."

"Did we talk for so long?" Cas' look was pure surprise. "I didn't notice."

"Yeah, me neither," Dean huffed amused.

Well, for a first date, this was probably the best Dean had ever had. Even if it was totally not a date. Which he still tried to tell himself, but his opinion wavered when he caught another fond look of Cas. No matter if it was or wasn't, he had gained a friend today, at the very least. And this felt just wonderful.

They paid the bill, well – Cas paid, as he had been the one inviting Dean for coffee, even if it had turned out to be three coffees in the end. Castiel's apartment was on the way to Dean's, so he walked him home. When they arrived there and stood in front of Cas' apartment house, Dean almost kissed him goodnight. Almost. Which was simply because Cas was standing so close to him – seriously, the guy had no sense for personal space – and he smelled incredible. But he somehow managed to hold his composure.

Castiel beamed at him. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Aren't you having lunch with Balthazar?" Dean asked back, toeing a stone around with his foot.

"No, he has the day off."

"Then I'll see you for lunch tomorrow, if you want. Cafeteria?"

"I hate the cafeteria, you sit on display for everyone to see," Cas objected, screwing up his face.

"We could just get some take-away instead and have lunch in the janitor's office, what do you think?" Dean suggested.

He was rewarded with a nod and a smile on Castiel's stupidly plush, stupidly kissable lips, and felt his heartbeat leaping up to a way faster pace once again. There was so much he wanted to do right now and just couldn't, because it would be inappropriate at this point.

"Good night, Cas," he said quietly, swallowing around the lump in his throat, and gave Cas a manly pat on the back instead.

"Good night, Dean," Castiel answered, still smiling, and the deep rumble of his voice made Dean shiver.

Then the janitor turned around and walked home, a stupidly wide grin on his lips all the way. When he came home to Sam, his brother was draped across the couch and looked up excitedly.

"Four hours, dude! What happened?" he grinned, looking like a teenage girl. "You've gotta tell me everything." Definitely teenage girl. Usually, Dean would have teased him for that, calling him a girl or something, but right now, he didn't care.

Dean let himself fall back onto the couch, beside Sam, and covered his face with both hands, laughing. "Man, I... I dunno. I can't. I'm just..."

"Speechless?" Sam helped. "Happy?"

"Yeah, that. And you've gotta find someone else to have lunch with tomorrow," Dean answered. "Sorry about that."

Sam just grinned.

***

Sam woke up that morning and was instantly reminded of what a shitty day was awaiting him. Usually, he liked his Fridays – he could go home early as soon as his work was done, it was weekend after that, and on Fridays there was mostly some kind of fish dish available in the cafeteria. And he liked fish. Dean would never understand that, though.

Although none of this did really help, considered he had insulted his boss just yesterday. His new boss. Who was kinda short and adorable and... for fuck's sake, Gabriel was his new boss. No way this would work out. There was no reason to even think of this.

Groaning, Sam sat up in his bed and shut off the alarm clock. After rubbing his eyes shortly, he covered his face in both hands. He should really go apologize to Gabriel today. If he got the courage to do so. Sighing, he got to his feet to stumble into the bathroom.

"Morning," he grumbled to Dean, who already occupied the sink and currently brushed his teeth.

"Mo'nin'," his brother said around the tooth brush in his mouth.

Sam quickly reached for his own when Dean spat out the foam into the basin and looked at him in the mirror. "Seriously, dude, who kicked your puppy?"

"Really, Dean? Are you that much on cloud nine that you completely forgot it was me who kicked 'my puppy' yesterday? As in, 'my new boss'?" Sam bitched, even though he didn't really want to ruin Dean's mood as well. But the grin he had come home with yesterday still was glued to Dean's face.

"Relax. Talk to him about it if you need to ease your conscience," Dean said simply and shrugged. "Either way, don't run around like this all day or I'll have to punch you. 'm going to make breakfast now."

And with that, his big brother vanished towards their small kitchen. Sam sighed deeply. Yeah right, it was easy for Dean to talk. Blame it on his hormones right now or something. Sam didn't want to think about it, didn't want to think about Gabriel either. He just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. With a big spray bottle of whipped cream and a pot of chocolate ice cream.

God, he was turning into Bridget Jones. Well, if that wasn't alarming.

Shrugging the disturbing thought off, Sam went to shower shortly and blow-dry his hair afterwards. And as if this day wasn't bad enough already, his hair decided to top it with several strands of hair sticking out at weird angles. No amount of hairspray in this world was able to keep it in shape. Sam threw his hair brush onto the basin in defeat and anger before he went to his room to get dressed. Dress pants, as usual, dark blue button up with pinstripes. Nothing too fancy. Maybe his favorite shirt would give him some confidence.

The coffee Dean handed to him at the breakfast table was still hot, which was the least Sam expected after his excessive amount of bad luck today. Dean's scrambled eggs with bacon were also perfect as ever, and Sam dove his fork into it with a pleased hum. For someone who barely knew how to put a deep-frozen pizza into the oven, Dean had mastered the task of making breakfast. Especially bacon.

Sam's mood had lightened up a bit by the time they drove to work in the Impala. It was something familiar, something he found relaxing. He wouldn't let his day get ruined by this, he decided. He would make a man's, go to Gabriel's office, knock politely at the door, and then he would say he's sorry and then they would be able to start a usual, totally not-weird working relationship. Because that's how it should be.

And Sam should seriously stop thinking of the word 'adorable' when it came to Gabriel. Seriously.

When the lawyer stepped into his office with a very disturbed feeling twisting up his guts, he wondered if it would get at least any better during the day.

At about half past nine, right before his first coffee break, a knock at his door startled Sam. He had tried to bury his head in work so he wouldn't have to think about his first encounter with his new boss.

But truth of the matter was, Sam couldn't concentrate and two hours of work hadn't brought him anywhere with this case.

"Come in," he said aloud to the one having knocked.

It was Gabriel who took a peek at him from the door frame.

Oh crap.

Sam sighed silently, cursing himself for being a coward and not having visited Gabriel before.

"Morning, Sammy," his boss said cheerfully and closed the door behind him.

"Good morning, Gabriel," Sam said slowly. "Take a seat-" he pointed towards the empty chair before his desk, "and no offense, but please don't call me Sammy. It's kind of a family nickname," he added quickly to defend himself, but cursing inwardly once again. Wasn't he the one who had to apologize here?

"Note taken," the short, brunette man in front of him said cheerfully – seriously, he seemed like one of those 'bucket full of sunshine' kind of guys, as his uncle Bobby would have called him – and flopped down into the chair with a lopsided grin.

Sam cleared his throat before he began to speak, looking shyly down onto his desk. "Look, what I said yesterday, I didn't-"

"Stop, stop right there, kiddo," Gabriel interrupted him, and once again Sam wondered about his strange choice of nicknames. "You really surprised me yesterday, and even if you didn't know who I was, I like people on my team who can speak their mind. So please, keep being honest to me. I'm sick of bootlickers, so don't be that way."

"So you're not mad at all?" Sam asked, practically gaping at Gabriel.

"No, why would I?" his boss looked genuinely surprised. "Besides, you're a nice guy. I look forward to working with you, and I want us to have a good working relationship. I like the way you are, so don't feel obligated to do anything to impress me. I've heard enough about your work here, there's no need for impressing me even more."

"Wow..." Sam still stared at his boss, "I have to admit I'm kinda speechless... Thanks. Really."

Gabriel smiled his typical warm smile, which made Sam feel all fuzzy and guilty. Guilty because his new boss truly was an awesome guy and he had thought so bad of him, that he would hold against him what he had said the previous day.

And eventually, Sam wasn't all out of English any more, even though he still couldn't look into Gabriel's hazel eyes. He instead toyed around with his pen as he spoke. "You know I was really worried that you would judge me for what I said, so I'm sorry I assumed that you were a vindictive person. I should have known better, and I'm glad that it turned out to be okay. I think I can work with a boss like you and I'll promise that I will always call bullshit on you when I think you deserve it. If that is what you want, of course," Sam finally looked up and returned the smile, full-on and so wide that he knew his dimples were showing. If Dean would have been here, he would have pinched his cheeks and called him a princess.

Then his stomach gave a deep, rolling rumble.

And Gabriel chuckled. "Nothing eaten yet?"

Sam felt his cheeks heat up and damn, blushing was the last thing he wanted to do right now. "It's been a while since breakfast. I just wanted to make a coffee break, to be honest."

For the first time since they met, Gabriel actually avoided his gaze, "Well, then I won't keep you from your thoroughly needed nutrition. Anywhoo... wanna have lunch with me later? I think we kinda got a conversation to finish."

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, I'd like to. I hear the cafeteria will serve salmon today? That is, if you like."

"As long as there's pie available for dessert, I'm good," Gabriel grinned back.

"You would get along with my brother perfectly well, you know," Sam full-on laughed. "He loves pie more than anything else."

"Yeah, and I love everything as long as there's a lot of sugar in it," Gabriel winked and got up to leave. "See ya later, Sam."

When he was gone and had closed the door behind him, Sam still smiled to himself. This whole encounter had made him incredibly happy.

Then Sam covered his face in both hands. No, he shouldn't. He really shouldn't. There was no way this would turn out okay if he developed a crush on his boss. As adorable and sweet and nice he was. After the last particularly bad crush on a straight guy, he had sworn to himself. And for fuck's sake, Gabriel was his boss. This wasn't any good. This could have legal consequences. He shouldn't. They couldn't. It wouldn't.

Sighing, Sam leaned forward and rested his head against the table. But that smile from before was still there. He was going to have lunch with Gabriel. In about three hours. He should get his shit together until then. And there was nothing wrong with looking forward to lunch, now was it?

***

Twelve o'clock came around quicker than Sam had thought. In an attempt to distract himself from the problem at hand – the problem being the personified adorableness that was Gabriel – he had buried his head in the lawsuit again and worked it out to his full satisfaction, now that he was finally able to concentrate again.

A few minutes before lunchtime, a knock on his door reminded Sam of his... appointment. He smiled and quickly stepped to the door, opening it to find a grinning Gabriel standing in the doorway.

"So, lunch, gigantor?" he asked.

Sam couldn't suppress the laughter bubbling up in his chest. "I have never been called 'gigantor' before - but if there is one person who has the right to call me that, it's probably you, Gabe," he grinned at the smaller man before he realized that he actually had used a nickname. For his boss. Oh damn, he really had foot-in-mouth-disease lately.

Before he could apologize, Gabriel answered with a wide smile on his lips, "And I have never been called 'Gabe' before. I like it, though."

"Really?" Sam asked speechless.

"Yeah, 'course," his boss answered matter-of-factly and shrugged. "Don't worry so much about the things you're saying to me, Sam. I can handle it. Just as I was saying this morning, I like the cut of your jib."

Sam huffed out a gentle laugh, and looked fondly down at the smaller man. "Right back at you."

And the look he earned from Gabriel for that almost made him melt. God, the sparkle in those warm, brown eyes, the lopsided grin, the allover friendly attitude... the way he walked a bit too close beside him, his shoulder bumping against Sam's bicep every few steps. Casually, not too obtrusive.

Gabriel was his boss. His boss. He shouldn't, he totally shouldn't. Oh, this was so going to become his new mantra.

Sam reluctantly tore his eyes away from him. This would be one long half hour of lunch.

***

Castiel happily munched his bacon cheeseburger, sitting on the small desk in the janitor's workshop. Around him, the walls were equipped with all kinds of tools, and on the tables at the walls lay several objects which Dean yet had to fix. This was where Dean worked when he didn't have to repair anything within the building. After working here for several years, Dean had left his marks in the room. A Motörhead-poster on the left wall, an AC/DC one on the other. A CD-player with several CDs stacked beside it, Metallica's "Whiskey in a jar" currently spinning in it.

"Mhh," Cas sighed softly with his mouth full, a sound that made Dean instantly look up at him. "These make me very happy."

Dean laughed loudly and tried hard not to spit the part of his own cheeseburger that he was chewing right now over the table. "You're the first one I meet who talks like this about his cheeseburgers."

The reaction to this was a beaming smile on Castiel's lips, which still resulted in Dean's stomach trying to somersault. Weird feeling, really weird.

They ate in silence, both way too occupied with devouring the delicious burgers – another thing they had in common, as Dean had happily noticed. Afterwards, the janitor couldn't suppress the satisfied burp rising up in his throat.

"Ups.. sorry," he quickly apologized with a short wave of his hand.

Cas had just finished his own burger and didn't answer. Instead, he belched himself, which made Dean laugh once again. God, when did he have to laugh that much lately? Not that his life was boring or dull or anything, and he sure as hell had enough to laugh with Sam, but this... Cas was different, had been different from the beginning. Dean couldn't look at him without at least smiling. He found himself giggling like a teenage girl when he said something funny, and laughing hard with his head thrown back when Castiel deadpanned. And that he did more than just well. Dean loved his humor, his company, and just the thought of the weekend coming up, of not seeing Cas for two days-

Pfff, screw it.

"Hey Cas, got anything planned for Saturday night?" Dean asked, locking eyes with the dark-haired man in front of him as he spoke.

"Nothing so far," Castiel answered, a smile tugging at the edges of his lips.

Dean couldn't remember Cas smiling that much either, for example when he had watched him around Balthazar, who was practically the only one Cas interacted with besides himself. Which made the janitor kind of proud. A familiar warmth spread in his chest at the thought, a feeling that had sneaked its way in there several times now.

"If you want, we could maybe grab a beer or something? I could show you my favorite bar?" And still, there was the slight nervousness tingling in his stomach, and Dean felt like being in high school all over again.

"You know where my apartment is, just pick me up," Castiel said simply, but if the wide grin on his face was anything to go by, then maybe he was also familiar with that feeling. Maybe.

And right then, Dean felt that all of this was different than a usual man-to-man friendship. That there was so much more to it than he could possibly wrap his mind around.

A happy sigh escaped his lips, and the urge to hug Cas was overwhelming. He didn't give in, though.

***

When Dean picked Sam up from his office that afternoon, a wide smile was glued to his little brother's face, matching the one on Dean's. They didn't talk much until they had reached the privacy of the car, though.

As soon as the doors were closed, Sam burst out. "Dude. Duuuude. You won't believe what happened today."

"Well, I guess something good, judged by your happy-face, Samantha," Dean nudged him slightly before starting the engine and driving out of the parking lot. "So, spill it."

"My boss is seriously the coolest, hands-down funniest guy I've ever met. You would get along perfectly with him, I bet. The guy had like three pieces of pie for lunch. Nothing else. Just pie," Sam laughed.

"Okay, I can relate," Dean chuckled. "What else? What about the stuff you said yesterday?"

Sam seemed a bit puzzled before he realized what Dean meant. "Uh, about that... he didn't mind at all. Said he liked it when people were able to tell him their honest opinion. So we had lunch together and I think we talked about one and a half hours, and no one cared. I don't even... I don't know where to begin. I'm just... he's amazing," Sam sighed, and when Dean looked shortly at him, he found a wide smile on his brother's lips. Almost wider than before, as if that was even possible.

"Dude. You're seriously crushing on your boss?" Dean asked worried.

Sam covered his face in both hands and rubbed his eyes. "I think, yeah. I know I shouldn't, I know this will end in a mess, but... I can't help myself. Dean, you should get to know him. He's like a whole foot shorter than me, and 'adorable' is a complete understatement if I'd had to describe him. He has such a sweet laughter, and for that alone I'd-"

"Sammy, spare me the chick-flick moments," Dean winced slightly. "Besides... do you even know if he's gay?" Sam had never been one to hide the fact that he was interested in men, which didn't mean that this applied to everybody he had a crush on.

"No, I don't. He just said he was divorced for good, and that he had found it not 'fitting his lifestyle' and he had to 'reorientate' after it. Whatever that means. But I swear, Dean, the way he looks at me sometimes... My gaydar almost hit the top of the scale so hard that it shot through the ceiling," Sam sighed dreamily. "And you know that my gaydar is good."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Dean sighed. "Still – he's your boss. Take care."

"Oh, I'll take care, don't worry. We're going out for dinner on Saturday, by the way," Sam whistled innocently. When Dean laughed loudly at that, his little brother shot him a confused look. "What's up?"

"I'll be out on Saturday as well," and just the thought of it made Dean smile as widely as Sam already did.

"Cas?" Sam asked simply, the happiness in his voice clear as day.

"'course. We're going to have a beer or two."

"... just a beer?" Dean could almost hear the raised eyebrow at this, he didn't even need to look at Sam.

"Yeah, just a beer."

"Are you still telling yourself that you're not gay for him?" Sam asked amused.

"Dude. I'm straight. But... I don't know... he makes me think, you know," Dean sighed, pulling up to their driveway and stopping the car. Sudden silence fell over them when he killed the engine and the radio stopped playing Motörhead.

"Dean," Sam said, his tone very serious, "try this. You haven't even told me what Castiel looks like. So go ahead, I want to know."

Dean pondered shortly before he retorted, "Fine. Let's see... he's shorter than me, but not much... maybe an inch or two. He's got short black hair that looks like he just fell out of bed most of the time, and I think I never saw him without that freshly shaves, he always has that five o'clock shadow. His lips are remarkable, very full and plush. Looks great in dress pants, I mean... not as trained as you or me, but he's slender and muscled and... he's got those intense, amazing blue eyes. Seriously, I think he stunned me with those things when he first looked at me or something."

His anticipated look at Sam was returned with a wide grin. "Look, if Gabe didn't break my gaydar for today, you most certainly did right now."

"C'mon..."

Sam shook his head. "Dean, get used to the idea of being in love with a man. If you've got questions, here I am," he smirked at his big brother.

Dean groaned and opened the door of the car to get out. Midway through standing up, he realized what Sam had said and flopped back behind the wheel. "Wait... Gabe?"

"Yeah, I... called him that today, totally not on purpose, believe me. But he kept calling me funny nicknames... like 'gigantor' or 'kiddo', I even had to forbid him to call me 'Sammy'. So I guess I just kinda took revenge for that. He liked it, though," and that small smile was back on his lips.

"Oh Sammy, you've fallen so hard for this guy..." Dean grinned.

"Yeah, look who's talking. Right back at you."

***

The Saturday they had was down-right batshit insane. Despite Sam suffering from several stress fits because of his hair – he washed it three times that day, and still wasn't satisfied with the result – Dean tried to keep his nerves calm. The operative word was tried.

And he did totally not search his whole closet for what to wear, changing clothes three times and ending up with his favorite Led-Zeppelin-shirt, nope. Because that would make him a girl, like Samantha. Who was currently busy with his second washing of his hair.

By the time 7 p. m. rolled around, they both were a mess. Sam looked absolutely dashing, as Dean had told him plenty of times now. After his little brother had three different suits laid out on the bed, Dean had ended up picking a classic pair of jeans and a plain black long-sleeve for him. Sam had insisted on wearing his beige scarf, which turned out to match perfectly. He was still doubting about being clad appropriately, what with all the suits he had to wear for work and what Gabriel would say seeing him that casually.

Dean had shoved him out of the door and told him to get his shit together. This was simply having diner, for fuck's sake.

He had thought that things would get easier once Sam was out of the flat, but as it turned out, being alone made him ponder. The time just wouldn't go by, and Dean didn't want to drink a beer yet – there sure as hell was nothing worse than ending up drunk on a date. And this one was kinda important to Dean.

He had promised to pick Castiel up at 8 p. m., and the time had apparently decided to stop or something.

It was a quarter to eight when Dean couldn't sit still anymore and grabbed his jacket to leave. Castiel's apartment was merely a few minutes away, so he arrived yet again well before time. So he shouldn't have been that surprised to find Cas opening the door shirtless.

"Oh, hello, Dean," Castiel said, a bit surprised as well but with a cheerful tone. "Didn't expect you that early, please come in."

"Hey, Cas. I hope you don't mind, I just..." wanted to see you so bad? couldn't wait any longer to have you around? - "didn't want to be late."

God, Dean, you're an ass. And a coward.

Castiel chuckled before he turned around. "Let me just get dressed, then I'll show you my place, okay? Make yourself at home."

Dean's eyes were glued to his back when he strolled down to a door that revealed the corner of a king-sized bed. Dean swallowed once again, the lump in his throat present as ever. For crying out loud, that man had one hell of a sexy back. The kind you wanted to run your hands down to his... oh lord. Dean was officially screwed. That ass, in those jeans, hips swinging casually from side to side with every step – okay. No need to wonder any more if he was gay for Cas or not. Because he was. He totally, really was.

When Castiel returned with a simple blue button-up hanging loosely from his shoulders, Dean tried hard not to stare. The color was very similar to Cas' eyes and highlighted them perfectly. As if they even needed more emphasis at all. Dean smiled shyly at Cas, who reciprocated it while reaching for the buttons of his shirt.

"Come on, let me show you around," the dark-haired man said, nodding towards the bathroom and leading the way. His flat was small – smaller than Sam's and Dean's, anyway, but they were paying for it together – so both the bathroom and the kitchen were tiny, but functional. Castiel apparently was the kind of guy who had a strong conception for tidiness, but his flat still managed to look warm and like someone actually lived there. Dean liked the style in which Cas had furnished it, classic and in warm colors, a lot of red and brown and vanilla, especially in the living room. It was definitely a room Dean could imagine hanging out in.

The kitchen was small but clean, and only one single cup sat lonely in the sink. Dean grinned when he picked it up and saw the comic-style cute angel printed on it, and read the text accompanying it out loud, "'My little angel'?"

"Yeah," Cas answered slowly and looked to the floor, a slight blush spreading on his cheeks, which looked all too adorable. "Got it from my mom, years ago."

"Don't get me wrong, it's cute... but 'angel'?" Dean smiled. "Is there more to it?"

The other man grinned back at him. "Hello, weird angel-name?" he pointed amused at himself to illustrate his point. "My parents were very religious."

"I never heard of an angel named Castiel," Dean wondered out loud.

"It's the angel of Thursday," Cas explained matter-of-factly and pouted a little.

Dean laughed gently. Oh, the irony.

"Why is that funny?" the dark-haired man in front of him asked confused, his brows furrowed.

"Because we've met on a Thursday, seen each other only on Thursdays for weeks and-" he stopped, almost having said that they even had their first date on a Thursday. "Well," he coughed. "I think you get what I mean."

Castiel grinned at him but said nothing. The glance in his eyes, though, was speaking volumes. "Let me just show you the last room you haven't seen yet, and then we're good to go," he eventually said and turned around.

He led the way to his bedroom, at which Dean had only caught a mere glimpse before. It wasn't a big room, either, but it appeared a lot more spacious because of the wall unit covering one of the walls completely. A mirror was attached to each door, reflecting the king-sized bed, and the effect thereof was simply amazing. Dean gaped for a moment before a particular thought hit him.

Him and Cas, spread out on the king-sized bed, making love all night and being able to watch themselves in the mirror while doing so. Dean had to swallow hard as he felt arousal build up within him, sending a rush of blood directly to his crotch. After taking a deep breath, he focused back on the man beside him.

Clearing his throat didn't really take out the roughness of his voice when he spoke again, "I like it, especially the wall of cupboards. Nice place you've got here."

"Thanks," Castiel shot him a shy, lopsided smile from where he stood beside Dean, as if he had read Dean's thoughts. God, how could someone possibly look that adorable and at the same time so ready to fall down on that bed with him? Dean's libido was beyond good and evil now.

"So, shall we?" Dean broke the awkward silence and pointed in the direction of the entrance door.

"Yes... let's go," Cas huffed and left the room, pushing so close past Dean that he could feel the warmth radiating from Cas' body.

In all seriousness, Dean had no idea how he should make it through this evening without jumping Castiel's bones. Wasn't it ironic, all of this, considering he would have thrown something after Sam if he had told him he was in love with another man just a month or two ago?

But now that he had accepted his feelings for what they were, everything was easier. Everything was light and wonderful and perfect, because he was in love.

Dean Winchester was in love, for the first time in his life. In love with a beautiful man, and happy like this.

Because all the signals he got back from Cas indicated that he felt the same for him. Dean wasn't possible the most sensible guy when it came to pick up on feelings, but he wasn't dumb either.

***

Cas turned out to not only like the bar they went to, but also to be a man who could handle his alcohol. After several beers they were back to where they started, mostly just looking deep into each other's eyes. There was no such thing as awkward silence between them, and Dean felt very, very comfortable like this.

Ellen, the barkeeper, noticed as well. She even said to Dean as soon as Cas was off to the restroom for a minute: "Boy, if you don't kiss him and take him home already, I'll lock you two into the closet back there and I promise you, I won't let you out until you worked it out."

Dean had just chuckled at that, admittedly pretty embarrassed that they were so easy to look through, and she had added: "C'mon, you can't fool me. I've known you for years and I have never seen you like this, Dean, not even around your brother. Just tell Cas. It's not like you got anything to loose."

"Well, in fact... I could loose a great friendship," Dean objected, mumbling into his beer. Ellen wasn't the kind of woman he liked to disagree with, she reminded him too much of his mum.

"You still think that this could work as just a friendship? With the way he looks at you? Please," Ellen shook her head in disbelief, setting the glass she had been polishing down onto the counter. "Oh, and you won't get any more beer from me tonight, boy. You'll just do something stupid when you're drunk, and what you've had should definitely be enough for some dutch courage. Are we clear?"

Dean swallowed, but smiled. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Then get your ass home, and be sure to keep that one," Ellen smiled back encouragingly and nodded towards Castiel, who just returned.

Dean quickly finished his beer and pulled his wallet out to hand Ellen a few bills. "Thanks," he said quietly before he turned around to meet Cas half-way.

"I think we better head home," he said to the man with the amazing blue eyes.

"I was just about to ask if you wanted to stay any longer," Cas gave him a lopsided grin and reached around Dean to grab his jacket. Dean, gentleman that he was, helped Cas to slip on his jacket before pulling on his own. After a short wave and wink from Ellen, they left the bar and went into the surprisingly warm night.

Dean even caught himself reaching for Castiel's hand at some point, but the smaller man quickly shook his head. His lips were pursed, and Dean just hoped t was because of them being in public and all, nothing more.

They had reached Castiel's house sooner than Dean liked to.

"So, this is goodnight, then," the janitor said when he had walked Cas to the door and turned to face him.

"Seems like that," the other man nodded, and he looked nervous. His smile was wavering, which was too much for Dean to handle. He wanted to hug Cas, wanted to hold him, feel him, kiss him.

Seriously, why did he still care?

Before Dean realized what he was doing, he wrapped both arms around Cas' shoulders – the latter instinctively reacted by placing his arms around Dean's waist – and held him close, hugged him as tight as possible without the intention of ever letting him go again. "Thank you so much for tonight. I had a wonderful time. We should totally do this again," Dean whispered, his voice breaking in the process.

"Yeah, we should... and it was my pleasure as well," Cas answered equally quiet, his voice rumbling deeply from beside Dean's ear.

God, Dean wanted to kiss him. Wanted to kiss him senseless. He leaned back in Cas' arms but didn't let go, just eyed the dark-haired man carefully. Hope was shining in his blue eyes, and something else. Something so intense that it gave Dean goosebumps. Something that it made him realize that now was the perfect time to kiss Castiel.

And so he closed his eyes and leaned their foreheads together, leaving the decision partly to Cas. The only thing the other man had to do was lean up and push their lips together. It wasn't far, even their noses nudged together now, a motion so sweet it made Dean smile. They were close, so close that Dean could feel Cas' breath on his lips, and all he waited for was the feeling of Cas' lips on his-

But nothing happened.

"Dean, I'm... sorry, I can't," Castiel whispered, his voice breaking.

"It's okay," Dean said slowly, but couldn't hide his disappointment. "We won't rush things, we've got all the time we want-"

"No, no... that's not what I meant. I like you, Dean, I really do, and very much so, but I-" Cas pulled back and groaned in frustration. "Look, I'm so sorry, this isn't-"

Dean gripped him tightly, not wanting to let him go completely yet. "Cas. Relax, dude. I'm not pushing you. This, all of this, has been just as much of a surprise to me as it was for you, and believe me – If you would've told me half a year ago that I could actually fall for a man, within just a few days, I would have called you crazy. So I can understand-"

Cas wound himself out of his arms fiercely, a deep frown on is face. "No, Dean. That's exactly the point why you couldn't possibly understand," he retorted bitterly, and with that the dark-haired man turned on his heel and opened the door quickly.

"Cas! Wait! Can't we... talk about this?"

The shorter man shook his head, "Not now. It's so complicated. I-"

"What about you consult your pillow and we'll talk tomorrow. Would that be okay?" Dean asked hopefully.

Castiel stared at him for a few long moments before he nodded with a sad sigh. He looked so hurt, so vulnerable, and Dean had no idea what he had done or what he could do to fix this. All he wanted was hug Cas until the sadness in his eyes was gone, but he knew he couldn't. Not right now.

"Good night, Cas," Dean said softly, feeling tears welling up in his eyes as his voice wavered.

"Good night, Dean." Cas didn't sound the least bit better.

When the door fell closed with a thud, Dean stared for a minute or two or – seriously, he had no idea how much time passed – at the door in disbelief. When he eventually turned around and walked off, down the road, he felt tears rolling down his cheeks, and he didn't even try to stop them. They just kept running, and it was everything but soothing.

For now, Dean wanted to feel the pain, wanted to wallow in self-pity. The big bad world had just thrown him a punch to the gut. And it hurt like shit. It was always like this. This was why he never had something good in his life, except his family, namely Sam. But he didn't fill the hole in his heart, the place he had thought Cas would fit so very perfectly into.

"Damnit, Cas," he mumbled bitterly to himself.

When Dean returned home, the lights were off and Sam was still out. At least he wouldn't have to face his brother right now. He just wanted to be alone.

Still crying, Dean went to bed. He didn't even bother to change, just fell into the sheets.

He should start a counter for this. Dean zero – Big bad world one.

***

Sam was nervous, more nervous than he had been during his first date in high school.

Having dinner with your boss outside of your place of work was strange enough. Having a pretty solid crush on said boss didn't make it any easier.

Gabriel had picked him up afoot, so he lived around here or he had taken a cab. Either way, he had chosen an Italian restaurant just a few blocks away – Sam had known it before, but he had never managed to get Dean to go out and try it.

The atmosphere was beautiful, calm, and very Italian – which practically meant very relaxing. Usually, Sam would have shot a good look at the waiter's backside when he walked gracefully down the aisle, but not today. Today he sat here with an adorable, short brunette man with the cheekiest smile he'd ever seen, and damn – Gabriel could turn his knees to pudding with his brown eyes.

He's your boss, he's your boss, he's your boss.

God, his mantra sucked.

Gabriel had just finished his pasta and eyed him over the top of his wine glass. Sam put his own empty plate to the side of the table to reach for his glass.

"Cheers," the lawyer said, raising his glass for Gabriel to clink it.

"Cheers," his boss answered – Sam just had to keep telling himself that he was talking to his boss – and they both took a sip, eyes glued to each other's. Gabriel wore casual clothes just like Sam, jeans with a white short-sleeved button-up. Which in fact wasn't buttoned up all the way and thus revealing plenty of the smaller man's chest. Which wasn't distracting, not at all. Nope.

Except that Sam wanted to pull Gabriel onto his lap and latch his lips onto the exposed triangle of skin right there. Well, a man could dream.

In other news, the wine was delicious. Sam didn't even want to know how much the bottle sitting beside him on the table cost. It was half-empty or half-full by now, take your pick, and for Sam, it was half full, because he was an optimist.

The wine would be the death of his career if he didn't watch out what he was doing under its influence.

"So, Sam," Gabriel began slowly, swirling the deep-red fluid in his glass and watching it to avoid Sam's gaze, "I didn't just take you out here because I can, but because I want to know more about you. You're an interesting guy."

Sam huffed, but couldn't deny that he was flattered. "And where should I begin, then?" he asked back with a smug smile.

"You mentioned you've got a brother. Who loves pie, apparently. Guess he's pretty cool, huh?"

"Oh, he is. He's just stubborn and a typical, protective older brother, driving me up the walls sometimes. He's four years older than me, and my roommate," Sam chuckled. "Which doesn't make him any more mature than me. He's the janitor at Wesson's, by the way, so you might have seen him a few times."

Gabriel shrugged. "Maybe, but I most likely I didn't pay attention. But... no offense, kiddo, but you're in your best years. Why do you still live with your brother? Why hasn't there been some hot chick snatching you and make a few little Sammys with you?"

Sam didn't even protest against the nickname right there, too dumbstruck by Gabriel's directness.

"Woah... slow down, Gabe. We had half a bottle of wine and I'm not used to that stuff, so one thing after the other," Sam grinned. "First things first: I live with my brother because he's single as well and because our parents live over in Kansas. We're the only relatives we respectively have in a radius of a couple hundred miles. Besides, I can deal with him, always have in all my life. And second, as for the 'no wife and no kids yet'-stuff. Never going to happen, either of it."

"Why is that, if I may ask?" Gabriel quirked an eyebrow at him, a bit confused.

"Well, it's not like I wouldn't want a family of my own sooner or later, it's just … guys don't usually get pregnant so easily, you know," Sam winked with a small smile, waiting for a reaction. His official, not so subtle coming-out to his boss was done. And he even had managed to get it over in a pretty funny way.

And what he earned for that particular confession almost slayed him. Slowly, Gabriel's smile spread to a full-on grin, which captured his whole face and made his eye sparkle. "So you're gay," he said, and it wasn't a question but a statement.

"Yeah, out and proud, but-" Sam smiled at Gabriel, "I think that's enough from me for now. I would like to hear those exact questions answered by you," Sam took a swig of his wine.

"Hey, I'm still the boss, so..." Gabriel playfully waved his finger at him before a heartfelt laughter dropped from his lips. "Never mind. My story isn't that interesting or complicated, to be honest. I lived here for all my live, I married my high school sweetheart, discovered that women didn't really float my boat in the long run and divorced her. She wanted kids, and I wanted, too, but in hindsight I am lucky that it didn't work. The divorce was hard enough without any poor kids involved."

Sam nodded sympathetically. "How long has it been since then?"

"Three years of freedom so far, but to be honest, I'm a bit sick of it. Looking for something more solid currently," Gabriel explained in a tone that didn't quite suit him. Way too serious.

"Yeah, I can relate," Sam smiled at him, and he couldn't even describe all the feelings rolling in waves over him right now. Gabe was gay. He was looking for a relationship.

He was adorable as fuck.

And Sam's boss.

Damnit.

When Sam looked back up at Gabriel, he found an amused sparkle in the smaller one's eyes. "What's up, Sam?"

"Nothing... nothing, really," Sam answered with a disarming smile, but just the fact that Gabriel had seen it or somehow noticed that something was bothering him – hell, he most likely guessed exactly right about what he was thinking.

Wordlessly, Gabriel had gone back to the dessert menu he had snatched from a nearby table. So Sam could add impatient to the list of things Gabriel was. His boss, a nice guy, fucking adorable, a sweet tooth and impatient.

"I think I'll have the Tartufo," the brunette man mumbled, more to himself, before he looked up at Sam, "Something for you too, kiddo?"

"No, thanks. Besides, I don't even know what Tartufo is, to be honest," Sam chuckled.

"You don't...? Oh. Oh, you definitely have to try it. It's delicious," he waved for the waiter, who quickly appeared at their table to take the order.

"What I wanted to ask you, Gabe," Sam began once the guy was gone, "Why do you keep calling me kiddo? I mean, I get the gigantor-"

"Huh. What about Sam-squatch then?" Gabriel suggested quick as a shot.

Sam couldn't help himself. Next point for the Gabriel list: funny. He threw his head back and laughed out loud. "Seriously, Sam-squatch? You are crazy," he managed between giggles.

"So I've been told. Oh, and I'm older than you, so I am allowed to call you kiddo, by the way," Gabriel's voice was warm and thick with affection. It made Sam shiver with its intensity. Once again, he wanted nothing more than just to reach over the table and touch Gabriel. Touch him, kiss him, just anything.

He quickly snapped back to reality when he realized what the shorter man had said. "How old are you, then?" Sam asked curious. Gabriel couldn't be much older than him.

"35."

"So, six years older than me," Sam nodded. He had always had a thing for older guys. Another point why Gabriel would be so perfect... if he wasn't his boss.

"And you've been working for Wesson for two years now? Did they recruit you straight from college?"

"Yes, exactly. It was a good offer, and I never regretted my decision to work there," Sam shrugged.

"Have you never wanted to be a freelance lawyer, to have your own law firm? To be independent?" Gabriel quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Of course I've thought about it, but I'm simply happier with a save job and a respectable salary. I didn't want to take all the risks. And why did you choose to work for a company, then?"

Gabriel sighed. "That's a long story."

"Go ahead. Try me," Sam smiled encouragingly. "We've got all the time we need."

"Okay, then," the brunette man nodded, a few curly bangs falling into his face, "Well, I actually had my own chambers, a few years ago, back when I was still married. I found another lawyer – a college friend of mine – who was a very capable partner, and we started up great. The firm was doing well, very well, but at the cost of both our marriages. No surprise there, we almost spent 15 hours a day at the office. He eventually got divorced two years before me, and that changed everything. I suddenly looked differently at him, first because he already had made it out while I still thought I could fix the mess that was the relationship with my ex-wife. I admired him before, but right then I realized that I saw him as more than just a friend. I looked at him and thought 'Daaamn, that ass in those pants looks so hot' – and that's where I knew I was gay. Simple as that. I've been in denial about it way too long anyway and I was even married to a woman. I still thought it could work, though, because I loved her. I really, really did. She was a great person and when I left our flat, I told her that I wish her only the best and not meeting a guy again who discovers his sexuality a bit too late."

Gabriel sighed and took a quick gulp of his glass of wine.

"So, what happened to your chambers, then?" Sam asked.

"Well, that's the other part of that story. I couldn't work with my partner any more... he was straight, I was gay, I had a crush on him, and I couldn't take it any more. So I sold my part of the company to him. Then I started working for Wesson, first as one of those guys from Austin you like so much, and after they noticed that I kinda had some managerial skills – hello, former boss of my own law firm - I was promoted to head of the law department. You know the story from there on. Met a cheeky gigantic lawyer who called my first decision as a boss stupid. Kinda liked him, though," Gabriel grinned, and Sam gladly reciprocated it.

"Fortunately I can laugh about my history as of today. Fact is, I felt never so guilty and lonely after I left my wife – she was my best friend in the end, but not more, that was – or so heartbroken when I left my partner. Although I deem his perky little ass in those tightly fitting dress pants responsible for awakening my sexual preferences."

Sam laughed loudly. "So you've got a kink for guys in suits? Well, I guess you chose the ideal profession, then."

Gabriel laughed out loud as well at that, a sound so rich that it made Sam feel all fuzzy inside, because he was the reason for it. "Hot guys in suits. And occasionally hot guys in casual clothes as well-" Gabriel added quickly, and Sam had to swallow heavily when the other one's eyes trailed down his body and back up, apparently liking what they were seeing, "-you pull that look off pretty good, I have to admit."

"Thanks," Sam answered stiffly. A compliment, seriously? He was aware that he was staring at Gabriel, but he was speechless. He was full-on flirting, for crying out loud. No, please no, he couldn't do this to Sam. His mind was gooey enough as it was, now if Gabriel actually began to turn his charm on Sam, he could guarantee for nothing that happened from now on.

A sudden snap brought him back to reality. "Hey, Sammy, you in there?" Gabriel chuckled, waving his fingers in front of Sam's face.

Not even the nickname that usually was reserved for Dean did startle him any more.

"Yeah... 'm sorry," he said quickly, and noticed that Gabriel's dessert had arrived in the meantime. God, how long had he blacked out? A first forkful of Tartufo found its way into the short brunette's mouth, which was followed by a pleased sigh from the latter.

"God, this is awesome... Sam, you have to try this."

"What is it, then?" Sam quirked an eyebrow and smiled at the man in front of him.

"It's vanilla and chocolate ice cream, filled with chocolate sauce and covered in cocoa powder," Gabriel winked, holding a forkful out over the table.

Sam laughed shortly. "No surprise that you like it. Chocolate overkill, I guess," with his eyes still locked with Gabriel's, he leaned forward and took the fork Gabriel was holding fully into his mouth, licking the ice cream and cocoa off of it. Gabriel's eyes snapped open for a split second, and a smug smile tugged at the edges of his lips. Well, Sam could flirt as well.

"Oh wow... really, chocolate overkill," Sam eventually said when he had swallowed the extremely sweet sample of the dessert, "I couldn't eat the whole lot of this."

Gabriel huffed a short laughter, and his eyes twinkled with mischief and amusement.

Sam turned crazier for him by every second. Seriously, he had fallen so hard for Gabe, and there was nothing left that could save him. Not when Gabriel was that cheeky and sweet and-

"Another bite, sweetie?" Gabriel teased with his fork hovering in front of Sam's mouth once again.

The sweetie did things to Sam's stomach that he couldn't even begin to describe. "No, thanks," he answered quickly, and when Gabriel pouted in return – adorable as fuck, just like Sam had stated earlier – the younger Winchester shot him a pointed look. "Mr. Milton, are you flirting with me?" he asked in an amused tone.

"Maybe," Gabriel smirked.

"You're my boss," Sam opposed dryly. Not that it was like he hated that thought or kept constantly reminding himself so he wouldn't do something dumb. Oh, the irony.

"We're not at work. We're two men on a date."

Sam was grinning widely as soon as the wort date had fallen from Gabriel's lips. "So would you think it would be unfair if I wore my favorite suit to work on Monday? I mean, I don't want to provide a distraction or anything," his voice was dripping from mischief and Sam knew it.

Gabriel tilted his his head to the side and waggled his eyebrows. "Mr. Winchester, are you trying to be a cocktease?"

How could the grin on either of their faces become any wider? "Oh, not at all, not at all- you're my boss, so please tell me if I should."

"In that case, I would very much appreciate it to see you in your favorite suit on Monday. But don't expect me to behave myself if it is what I suspect," Gabriel pulled out his wallet and waved at the waiter to pay the bill, adding a generous tip.

Sam just wanted to get out of that restaurant, into the night, to his apartment, and god he wanted nothing more than Gabriel right now.

The fresh air of the night helped to sober his mind up a bit, even though he felt merely a bit tipsy.

Gabriel, walking by his side, had tucked his hands into his pockets, but couldn't tear his eyes away from Sam. They didn't talk until they reached the house where Sam's apartment was. Sam's mantra was enhanced for now – it said: 'Gabriel is your boss and you won't do something stupid tonight.'

Standing at the entrance door, Sam noticed a leftover smear of chocolate from the Tartufo on one edge of Gabriel's lip, and before he knew what he was doing, he reached out to clean it up. Wiped it away with his thumb. But as soon as his palm touched Gabriel's cheek, and those warm, honey brown eyes looked up at him, he was gone. The smaller man quickly covered Sam's hand with his own, and the unresolved sexual tension between them was thick, crying for release.

Gabriel was the one who gave in first, closing his eyes and turning his head slightly to kiss the sensitive skin of Sam's palm, punctuating his light touch with a short lick before turning back and looking into Sam's eyes. There was so much lust and desire and affection written in his eyes that Sam couldn't possibly resist. Bringing his second hand up to Gabriel's face to cup it, he bent down and pressed their lips together in a first, needy encounter. Gabriel kissed back fiercely from the first second.

It was as intoxicating and intriguing as tasting from forbidden fruit.

The smaller man tasted sweet with the remains of red wine and the chocolate dessert, and Sam was desperate to taste more of it. He nibbled gently at Gabriel's bottom lip, licking across it when he sucked it slightly into his mouth and captured it with his teeth, which made Gabriel moan into the kiss. The sound almost knocked Sam off his feet, and he leaned back against the wall beside the door, pulling Gabriel with him.

When their lips parted shortly because of the movement, they both panted.

"We shouldn't, Gabe," Sam whispered in-between more kisses from Gabriel, and he hated himself for bringing it up.

"Yeah, we shouldn't, so what?" Gabriel pulled away a bit to look in Sam's eyes, his own ones clouded with want and so much desire.

"You're my boss. And you're a lawyer, so think about the consequences," Sam groaned in frustration before he pushed the smaller man back up in his arms to latch their lips together in another onslaught of needy kisses, of little licks and bites.

"We'll work it out, don't worry," was all Gabriel managed before Sam's tongue in his mouth shut him up, and then their bodies pressed hard against each other's, grinding together and fitting perfectly. Sam placed his thigh between Gabriel's legs and found a familiar hardness there, the same that Gabriel would feel right now as he rubbed his own leg against Sam's crotch. They groaned simultaneously, voices a rough, husky rumble. Sam took a deep breath and swooped Gabriel up in his arms, the latter instinctively wrapping his legs around Sam's waist before Sam turned them around to slam Gabriel's back against the wall, trapping him there.

Gabriel was his boss and he won't do anything stupid tonight.

Screw that, but-

Reluctantly, Sam pulled back from their delicious kiss – Gabriel seriously was a fucking fantastic kisser – and rested his head in the crook of Gabriel's neck, still breathing hard as he held the smaller one up against the wall.

"Okay, so we'll work this out. But then I don't want anything more happening tonight. This... this isn't a one-time-only-thing."

"No, I don't want it to be one either. And believe me, you're not making it easy," Gabriel huffed from beneath his ear.

Sam slowly sat him back down to his feet. They didn't need to talk right now, it was written pretty obvious in both their faces. The affection they held for each other, the happiness. They were both lawyers, they'd find a way, Sam was sure of it. They would find a legal way so Gabriel wasn't going to get any trouble.

"Well, if that wasn't one hell of a date," Gabriel grinned after a few moments.

"I hope it really wasn't the only one, then?" Sam asked playfully, quirking an eyebrow at the smaller man.

"You bet your sweet little ass," Gabriel answered and reached around to slap said part of Sam's anatomy gently.

"Hey, boss, that's sexual harassment!" Sam laughed.

Gabriel waggled his eyebrows suggestively, "Oh, I'll show you some sexual harassment when we've dealt with this case."

Sam laughed. "Good night, Gabe. You'd better go now before I do something that I'll regret tomorrow." Because he didn't regret anything so far.

"Good night, Sammy," Gabriel raised himself on tiptoes to reach Sam's mouth and kiss him again, a lot more innocent than before but also a lot more loving.

Sam smiled when they parted. "Did I already tell you that you're fucking adorable?"

Gabriel leaned forwards, rested his head at Sam's chest, and laughed merrily.

Sam sighed. There he found a perfectly matching significant other, and it had to be his boss. Who was totally worth the trouble the big bad world confronted him with because of that.

***

Dean stumbled into the the kitchen and found Sam working through various law books laid out on the table. Although this was a highly uncommon occasion, he couldn't bring himself to care. He felt wrecked. 

“Mornin',” the older Winchester mumbled instead and went straight for the fridge.

“Morning, Dean,” Sam chirped, his mood disgustingly happy.

Dean couldn't even look at him. He didn't want to ruin Sam's date – which had obviously gone very successful – with him bitching about his. Truth be told, all he wanted was three bottles of whiskey and a few days off so he could crawl into a hole and try to drown his worries in alcohol. Also, if he would look at Sam now, his brother would notice how reddened and puffy his eyes were, affected by a night and morning of crying.

The beer bottle clinked against the one beside it when he pulled it out of the fridge and closed the door. But before he could even blink, Sam was at his side, snatching the bottle from his hands.

“Dude, seriously? Beer for breakfast?” he shook his head and poured a cup of coffee for Dean instead, handing it to him. Dean was too weak to protest, so he took it gratefully and sat down on the table. Well, at least the coffee warmed him up. Wasn't like anything could fill the emptiness inside of him right now. He stared into the dark, steaming fluid, and felt his heart clench at the thought that it looked exactly like the color of Cas' hair.

Sam flopped down on the chair opposite of him and pushed the books and papers aside. “So, you're gonna tell me what happened or what?” he shot Dean a worried look.

Dean quietly thanked him for not asking about his eyes. He took a good mouthful of the hot coffee and swallowed. “I have no idea what happened. We were at the bar, everything was perfect and we had such a good time, and Ellen loved him to pieces, really. She told me she'd lock us in the closet if I didn't finally confess to him, and then she kicked us out. More or less. And then we were at his place, and I hugged him and finally had the balls to try and kiss him – and then he had some kind of big freak-out, said he just couldn't do this and I couldn't possible understand.”

“Nothing more? Didn't you try to talk to him?” Sam asked sympathetically. Thank god, once again, that Sam knew Dean good enough to not ask if he was okay or any of that other shit people said to each other in such situations.

“Yeah, I said we could talk today, if he wanted,” Dean reached for his cell phone in his pocket. He had slept on it all night, and that would result in one nasty bruise on his thigh. His thumb hovered once again over the keys, and he stared blankly at Cas' number on the display. “I couldn't bring myself to call him, though. Also tried to send a text, but didn't know what to write, so...”

He sighed in defeat and looked helplessly up at Sam.

“Dean,” his little brother began stony-faced, “look at you. You're a mess. You know I can't watch you doing nothing about this. Hell, I bet it's just a simple misunderstanding or something. So if you don't call or text him right the fuck now, I promise that I will.”

“You should have seen him, Sam,” Dean answered quietly. “I haven't seen him that upset before. But then again, what would I know, I just met him a few days ago,” he huffed bitterly.

“Look, man, all I know is how you have been in those few days. And you were happy. He made you that happy. You'd be a fool to let him go. So call him and fix this. Now,” Sam said sternly.

Dean opened his mouth to respond when his phone began to buzz on the table, where he had placed it a few moments earlier. He quickly reached for it to read the incoming text.

“Plese tell me it's Cas,” Sam said hopefully.

Dean nodded without saying a word.

“I knew the guy would have more brains than you do. What's it say?”

“That he still wanted to talk to me, that he's sorry and that he'd understand if I didn't even bother to answer this text,” Dean answered and rubbed his tired eyes with his spare hand. The sensitive skin still hurt when his fingertips brushed against it.

“...so?” Sam asked, anticipated. “What are you waiting for?”

“I dunno.”

“Do you want to see him?”

“Yes, I do-”

“Then get dressed and get your ass over to Cas' apartment! Holy shit, what is it with you?” Sam almost yelled, clearly confused.

“Yeah, I will, Sam,” Dean retorted, voice raised as well, “If you tell me what I should tell him?”

Sam gave him his best 'are-you-fucking-kidding-me'-bitchface. “Dean, seriously. Let him talk. Something was up with him, he wants to explain, so let him. Or are you angry at him?”

Dean was quiet for a short moment and pondered. No, angry wasn't it. Disappointed, yes. Sad and depressed. But these were feelings concerning himself, not Cas. If he thought about Cas, there was still that familiar attraction and the need to be near him, hear his voice, see the spark in his beautiful blue eyes, be able to touch him. Castiel had seemed so vulnerable yesterday, so hurt, and Dean just knew it wasn't because of him. Something else had happened, something he couldn't know. So maybe if they could talk it out, they could still be together...?

Oh, if it just was that easy. Dean stared at his phone, then back up at Sam, who still waited for an answer.

“No,” Dean simply said and got up, the cup of coffee long forgotten and almost cold.

He was dressed and out of the door before Sam could say “What the fuck, Dean?” - he heard it anyway through the open door to the kitchen – he hadn't shaved, he hadn't showered, just grabbed a clean shirt and went like he was.

His feet took him to Cas' apartment without even thinking about it, and he had walked down the few blocks within minutes.

Only when he pushed the door bell, slight nervousness crept up Dean's spine. He hadn't even let Cas know that he was on the way. Dean heard the clattering of the door viewer, and then the door was opened quickly. Castiel stared at him with wide eyes, genuinely surprised.

“Dean,” he said as a matter of greeting, his voice deep as usual but hoarse and rough, “You came.” He swallowed heavily. When Dean took a closer look, Cas looked even worse than he felt. The smaller man's eyes were reddened and swollen, the 5 o'clock shadow had become a respectable stubble, and his hair was flattened on one side and sticking up at the other. He wore a simple blue shirt, hanging wide from his shoulders, and pajama pants.

“Hey Cas,” Dean responded quietly. “You said you would understand if I didn't even bother to answer to your text. So here I am.”

Castiel huffed out a short laugh, but it died quickly when he pursed his lips and looked to the floor, avoiding Dean's eyes. He looked lost and guilty, and deeply worried. A sudden wave of affection and sympathy swept over Dean, and he wanted nothing more than just hug Cas now-

“Come in,” the dark-haired man said, his voice still wrecked. He stepped aside and waved Dean inside. Dean sighed when he remembered yesterday, where Cas had opened that door without a shirt but with a wide smile on his face. After toeing off his boots and leaving his jacket at the coat rack, Dean turned around and found Castiel still standing right there, beside the now closed door. He stared at Dean with his trademark blue eyes and just looked like a lost puppy, which was just accentuated by the worried glance in his eyes. God, those eyes. One day they would be the end of Dean.

He quickly closed the gap between them until he stood right in front of Cas, whose head had fallen to his chest, staring onto the floor. “Hey, Cas, please... it'll be fine. Let's work this out, okay?” Dean said softly, almost reaching out to grab Cas' hand or his arm or... anything. He wanted to touch him so bad, just offer a tiny bit of comfort.

“I'm just...” Castiel began, his voice wavering and unsure. “I'm so sorry, I have no clue how I could ever make this up to you-”

“Stop right there,” Dean said firmly before placing his fingers under the other man's chin, prodding it upwards so they finally faced each other. “No need to apologize. I'm not mad at you, so, please just tell me what's wrong?”

Tears welled up in Castiel's eyes, and Dean tried hard to keep his distance. He didn't want to cross any lines he wasn't aware of again. “You aren't?” Cas asked barely audible.

“No, I'm not. Honestly,” Dean reassured.

But now, the tears were unavoidable. Dean's heart almost broke at the sight of seeing Castiel that unsure and broken, his bottom lip quivering when the first drop of salty water rolled down his cheek. This was more than he could take right now, and Dean gave up. Sighing sadly, he slowly raised his hand to wipe the tear away with his thumb. Baby blue eyes flew open wide and looked up at him, literally taking Dean's breath away.

With his one hand still resting on the smaller man's cheek, Dean wrapped his other arm around his shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. Castiel fisted his hands in the fabric of Dean's shirt, gripping him tight like he was the last thing that kept him from drowning. After a few split-seconds of adjusting, the dark-haired man practically melted into the embrace, rested his head in the crook of Dean's neck, and pulled them together as close as physically possible. 

When the first sob rolled through Cas' body, Dean slowly began to stroke the soft, curly hair in Castiel's neck, running his hands through it soothingly as he felt the wetness of tears running down his own neck and chest. Somewhere throughout the countless minutes they stood there like this Cas loosened his grip on Dean's shirt to wrap both arms around the other one's waist. And as Dean felt Cas' body flush against his, the warmth that radiated from it and the fragrance that was simply Cas, he almost became dizzy. He tried to soothe the smaller man further down with gentle strokes along his back, whispering little words of comfort into his ear – mostly just a quiet mantra of “Don't worry, it's okay, Cas”.

Yet Dean still wondered what had happened to him before, that had made him so upset, made him shake so badly. But somehow, Dean also knew that he was the first one to see this side of Castiel, the vulnerable, hurt one, and he wouldn't push him.

After a while, the sobs ebbed out and Cas calmed down slowly. When he leaned back into Dean's arms, he could see the tear stains down the smaller man's cheeks, but at least the look on his face wasn't that pained any more.

Dean wanted to kiss him more than ever, but he restrained himself. He wasn't going to make the same mistakes again.

He had to clear his throat before he could speak again, though. “Let's talk, please. Couch?” he asked and stroked his thumb gently along the dark-haired man's cheek, brushing the remaining wetness of the tears away.

Cas nodded slowly before reluctantly pulling back from their hug. He took Dean's hand in his when he led them to his living room, to the large brown sofa that dominated it. The sensitive skin of his palm tingled where it touched Cas' and the gesture felt intimate and comforting.

They both flopped down on the couch, much more relaxed now than they were before. Dean even managed a small, encouraging smile and squeezed Castiel's hand softly. None of them had bothered for any personal space while sitting down, so their knees nudged lightly at each other's every so often. It made Dean almost giddy with happiness. This would work out, somehow, he was sure of it.

Castiel took a deep breath. “Dean, it doesn't matter for me if you are mad or not – although I have to say that I'm pretty relieved that you aren't – but I'm still so very sorry about what happened yesterday. It could have been prevented if I had told you the whole truth from the beginning, and that makes me indeed feel very guilty.”

Dean interrupted him with a shake of his head. “There's no point in discussing what is and what could have been. It happened, and I don't blame you. I just want to know.”

“Well, then, so here goes,” Castiel said, looking up at Dean, locking eyes with him. “You remember that I said I moved here after my last relationship broke up?”

Dean nodded in understanding.

“As you know, one does not talk about ex-boyfriends at first dates, so I naturally didn't want to tell that story, plus it is still a very painful one for me. But you deserve to know... First, it wasn't a relationship. It was me being stupid enough to run after a guy for over two years. He was my neighbor, and my friend, and we spent every waking minute together when we weren't at work. The problem was that he was straight, which didn't keep me from developing a major crush on him. I eventually confessed, after several months, and all he said was that he couldn't imagine being with a guy. That he liked me, but he couldn't see himself with a boyfriend. And so, dumb and lovesick as I was, I started to woo him with all I had. Taking him out to dinner, beginning to touch him whenever I could, and step by step, he let me do more and more. I felt like I had finally made it, that I had convinced him that I would be a perfect partner for him. And then we went out one night, got drunk and ended up at my place, where I finally kissed him. It had been two years, then, that I was in love with him, and I felt like I was on cloud nine, working so hard for so long and finally being rewarded with the man I desired.” 

Cas coughed and reached for a glass of water on the coffee table, taking several large gulps before he continued.

“We slept together once during that very night, and it was rough and quick and not what I pictured at all... Over those years, I kind of developed a wonderful fantasy, where we would make love all night and everything was tender and loving and perfect. None of that came true. And when I woke up in the morning, he was gone, leaving only an e-mail he had apparently sent me as soon as he was back in his apartment. He said that this had been fun for one night, that he had just wanted to try it and that it turned out to not being what he wanted,” Castiel's voice broke and Dean noticed that the beautiful blue eyes were tearing up again.

“Ssh, Cas, don't. He was an ass to you, he doesn't deserve to be cried over,” Dean said slowly.

“I don't cry over him, Dean. I'm long since over him. What I didn't expected was that I'm still so afraid of apparently-straight guys who show any kind of interest in me, and that is what made me freak out yesterday. In the end, you were the one suffering because of a dickhead ex-boyfriend of mine, and that's just not fair,” Cas retorted bitterly.

Dean was quiet for a few moments, pondering over the dark-haired man's words while rubbing gentle circles with his thumb onto Cas' palm. It all made sense now. “So, what can I do to make you believe that I'm serious? It may be true that I haven't had anything going on with a guy ever before, but... you're special, Cas. You've always been. Hell, I broke the AC for almost two months just to meet you every other week-”

“You did what?” Castiel interrupted him with a surprised yelp. Slowly but surely, a smile was beginning to tug at his lips.

“Yeah, well... it always was only one single screw I had to drill back in. It just took forever to disassemble the machine and put it back together. And it never was dangerous or expensive to fix-”

Suddenly, a delightfully chuckling Castiel shoved him back onto the couch and Dean quickly found himself laying on his back, a dark-haired mop of hair resting on his chest. With both hands placed beside him, Cas propped himself up to hover over Dean. He smiled widely, a look Dean had missed so much and reciprocated gladly.

The smaller man on top of him was still laughing before he carefully began to speak. “Can we start again, then? Forget that particular bad episode of yesterday?”

Dean shook his head. “I won't ever forget and I don't want to start again, because all of it is part of who you are. I want to pick up where we left off, right here on this couch.”

Cas' smile softened, and Dean took his time to take in this beautiful picture, took his time to run his hand gently through Castiel's short hair, caressing the plush lips with the thumb of his other hand. The stubble on the other man's cheeks was new to that experience, but Dean didn't mind in the least.

Finally, those intense, beautiful blue eyes closed, and Castiel dipped his head. Dean didn't think twice. One hand still resting in Cas' neck, he pulled the smaller man down even more, meeting his lips half-way with his own. A blissful sigh escaped both of them at the first contact, and Dean smiled gently into the kiss. It was a simple one, dry without tongue or any fancy biting or anything Dean had ever done with girls over the years.

But that kiss had depth, it meant something. It was the foundation of their relationship, Dean realized, and found himself reciprocating the loving, tender touch of Castiel's lips on his without hesitation or hurry. They fitted just perfectly onto each other's, sliding together in a perfect motion again and again. When Cas eventually broke the kiss to give them time to gasp for some air, a goofy grin was present on both their faces, and Dean wouldn't have been able to describe how happy he felt right now.

Castiel looked at him with a joyful grin before he leaned down and used Dean's chest as a pillow.

“I won't ever let you go, I promise,” Dean whispered as he wrapped his arms tightly around the smaller man's body.

Cas just smiled and closed his eyes.

And that was where Dean realized how horrible he had – barely - slept last night. Because of worry, and because of the alcohol, and because he couldn't sleep longer than 7 a. m.. It apparently wasn't any different on Castiel's side.

Why did he realize that?

Because they both fell asleep in this very position – Dean on his back, Cas on top of him, snuggling into his chest while being held securely in place by Dean's strong arms around his waist.

***

Dean woke up to a cellphone buzzing against his thigh. It took him a while to realize that it wasn't his own, but Cas'. The dark-haired man stirred sleepily in his arms before fumbling for his pocket and taking it out. After a confused look – first at the screen, then at Dean – he accepted the call and laid the phone down on Dean's chest, then his head on top of it.

Suppressing the upcoming laughter at the cute view wasn't that easy for Dean.

"Hello?" Cas said out loud, voice slightly roughened from sleeping.

He listened for a few seconds before he looked up and locked eyes with Dean. "Yes, he's still here."

Another short moment later, Cas smiled widely. "Yes." and after another beat. "I will. Bye!"

Dean quirked an eyebrow at him. "Who was that?"

Cas grinned, picked the phone up and held it towards Dean so he could see the caller ID.

"My cell? What the hell?" Dean wondered, brows furrowed.

"It was Sam," Castiel explained.

"Uh. Obviously," Dean shook his head. It was the logical thing to do – Sam knew where he was and he had left his phone at home in the hurry. "So what did he say?"

"Well, at first he asked if we talked and if everything was alright now, which I affirmed," Cas smiled gently, "and then he said that Gabriel would stop by and you should 'respect the sock'. I didn't understand that reference, though."

Dean laughed softly. "Oh, the sock dates back to when we still lived at home. We invented the habit of wrapping a sock around the door handle to tell the other one to stay out, after I... walked in on Sam and his tutor once. Believe me, there are things I don't want to know, and seeing them is even worse."

"Who is Gabriel, then?" Castiel asked curiously.

"I didn't tell you about him? Oh. Uhm, Sam's new boss, and... oh," Dean realized he hadn't even asked Sam how his date went.

"What is it?"

"Sam had a date with Gabriel yesterday, and I was too busy with moping all over the place about you so I didn't even ask him how it went. But I guess that the sock answers that question," Dean smiled to himself.

"But he's Sam's boss. Isn't that a problem?" Cas' eyebrows rose towards his hairline.

"Yeah, I think so. But I saw him fuzzing over some law books this morning... I think they are working on a plan. Huh. And I didn't even notice."

"And all because of me? I'm flattered, Dean," Castiel teased, poking the other man in his side.

"Of course," Dean answered with an affectionate smile and leaned down to kiss his... boyfriend.

Boyfriend, indeed. Holy shit.

"'m sorry," Cas mumbled seriously against his lips.

"Stop apologizing already," Dean retorted and shut him up with another kiss. "Everything's alright now, we're together, so don't worry, okay?"

Castiel swallowed. "We're together..." His voice was dreamy, as if he just realized what this was now that he spoke it out. Then he began to laugh, and Dean squeezed him tightly in his arms.

"Just promise me that we don't become one of those annoying couples that are constantly all over each other in front of everyone and calling each other stupid nicknames and all that chick-stuff," Dean huffed amused and placed a short kiss on Cas' nose.

"As long as I get to cuddle excessively with you as soon as we're alone?" Castiel retorted, nudging their noses together.

"Always, honey," Dean grinned.

A merry laugh sounded from where Cas had buried his head into Dean's chest. Dean simply ran his hands through the dark, messy hair and loved every second of laying here like this.

When the laugh ebbed out, Cas' deep blue eyes locked with his once more and he reached upwards to cup Dean's cheek. "Did I ever tell you how much I love your green eyes? And your freckles?"

Dean chuckled. "Did I ever tell you how you stunned me with those baby blue eyes of yours the first time you directly looked at me?" he responded.

The smaller man shook his head, happy smile wide on his face, and his eyes were clouded when he focused back on Dean. "I can't even begin to describe how happy I am right now."

"Me too. And I promise you this, Cas," Dean said seriously, "that I may not have much experience when it comes to relationships, but I will do my best and I would do anything to make this last. I haven't felt so sure about anything in all my life. And I won't ever make you cry again, I promise."

Cas didn't answer, but the look in his eyes spook volumes. There was so much affection and... love shining down on Dean that it almost took his breath away. After watching him for a few long moments, Cas said with a slight smirk, "Someone once said to me, and I'm sure it was merely a few days ago, that he didn't like any chick-flick moments."

Dean laughed loudly, throwing his head back against the armrest of the couch. "Touché," he answered after catching his breath again. Castiel had rested his head in the crook of his neck in the meantime, snuggling close.

"Anyway, I am very hungry," he mumbled against the sensitive skin of Dean's neck, making him shiver.

"Yeah, me too," Dean answered, squeezing him tight.

"Pizza service is on speed dial. What do you want?" Cas asked, pointing at his phone that was still laying on Dean's chest beside his head.

Dean stared at the mop of brown hair in amazement before he laughed once again. He should have gotten used to the wave of affection that hit him so often when he was around Cas, but this one right now knocked it up. "Oh god, I knew you were perfect, but... but... I'm sorry, I think I'm out of English. I never guessed you were this perfect. I-" he began, but closed his mouth quickly and smiled happily down at Cas.

And right there, Dean almost had said it. The three words he had never said to anyone before. But he felt it, felt it so deep and sure and overwhelming within himself that there was no use in denying it. It may have been just a few days, but it didn't feel to early to say-

Cas just looked up at him with a loving sparkle in his blue eyes and smiled lopsided. "It's okay, Dean, I won't freak out. I know it's just been a few-"

"I love you," Dean burst out before he could think twice. He just needed to get it out there.

Cas gaped at him shortly, before he finished his sentence. "- hours but it's okay, because I love you, too."

Dean couldn't remember feeling so much happiness and joy that powerful ever before. It was breathtaking, and wonderful, and so very perfect. With his hands quickly entangled in Castiel's dark hair, Dean pulled him down and kissed him senseless until they both gasped for air.

***

When Dean came home later that night, with a happy smile all over his face and a pizza box with some leftovers in hand, he expected the kitchen empty and a sock hanging on Sam's door.

So he was quite surprised to find Sam sitting on the kitchen table, still hunched over his law books and a stranger sitting next to him. He was short, had brunette hair, wore a red plaid shirt and he eyed Sam like he was the most beautiful thing in the world. And he was currently munching on a bag of M&Ms.

In other news, it just had to be Gabriel.

"Hi there," Dean said friendly, throwing the pizza box onto the living room table.

"Well, you must be Dean," the short one said and extended his hand towards the older Winchester.

Dean accepted it immediately and reciprocated the firm squeeze. "Gabriel," Dean stated.

Gabriel nodded with a smile. "So, fixed your little misery?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Sam had watched the whole scene silently and with a wide grin on his lips. He was obviously just as happy as Dean felt right now, and Dean gladly sat down at the table. "Sorry I didn't ask about your date yesterday," he said quietly to Sam and Gabriel.

Sam shrugged it off and shook his head. "The way you looked this morning, I wouldn't even have told you if you had asked me," he winked. "So, tell me what happened with Cas."

The name instantly made Dean's smile brighter, but he just couldn't help himself. "Turned out I just kind of triggered a bad memory of an ex-boyfriend of his. Anyway, we're... together now and you really, really have to meet him."

Sam grinned. "Congrats, I'm looking forward to. He sounded really nice on the phone."

Unnoticed by Sam, Gabriel had shuffled up close to him and leaned against him, all the while watching Dean with an amused smirk. When he realized it, the younger Winchester instantly wrapped his arm around Gabriel's shoulders and pulled him close. They looked happy and contented, and Dean felt like he was a giant cockblock right now, and he didn't feel like teasing Sam about it. Not now. Tomorrow, when he walked funny. He didn't want to think about what happened in between.

Dean coughed uncomfortably. "Listen, I'll hit the hay. Don't want to keep you from anything, but I swear, keep it quiet or I won't respect the sock."

"Dean!" Sam protested and blushed bright red.

"Oh, you wouldn't be able to handle what you would see, Dean-o," Gabriel added, smirking.

Dean, already having walked halfway out into the hallway, turned back around. "Dean-o?" he asked confused.

Gabriel shrugged with a grin. And Sam began to laugh merrily.

"Sam mentioned that you had a thing for strange nicknames, but... what?"

"I like it," Sam managed to cough between laughs. "Now go to bed, Dean-o, would ya?"

Dean huffed, but he was way too happy to snap at Sam right now.

"Night, guys," he said instead and went to his room.

***

Sam looked down at Gabriel at his side. They had searched pertinent laws for hours now. "We can't simply keep it a secret, now can we?"

A mischievous smile was shot at him. "Well, if you wear that suit you were promising me tomorrow then I'm sure I can't quite keep it a secret," the smaller man winked, "Besides, we could get in real trouble if we don't tell."

Sam sighed. "The true problem is that you're my boss, so we have to find a way to not work together. But that would mean I had to leave the law department or get a new job-"

"- and that's the last thing I'd like. Would practically keep me away from staring at your ass in dress pants."

"Oh, I'm sure that's the defining reason," Sam joked and bent down to kiss his boyfriend.

Gabe smiled gently. "What if we just tell the senior boss. He will still be around for 3 years or so. If he takes care of your work instead of me, we won't have to directly work together."

"But that's only for 3 years, what then?"

"We'll see. A lot can happen in 3 years," Gabriel shrugged it off and leaned his head against Sam's shoulder.

"So that's the plan, then. Tell Mr. Morrison about us tomorrow, let him be my boss exclusively, and we'll be fine? For the 3 remaining years at least?" Sam summed it up.

"That's the plan," Gabriel confirmed, nodding.

"That means we've successfully dealt with our case?"

Gabriel quirked an eyebrow at the taller man, apparently sensing what Sam was up to. "...Yes?"

Wordlessly, Sam wrapped his arms around Gabriel's waist, pulled him close and got to his feet with Gabe in his arms. That way he carried him out of the kitchen and into the hallway. Sam kicked the door to his bedroom open and Gabriel barely managed to slam the door shut on the way, before both tumbled onto the bed, sharing a heated kiss. Sam landed with his back on the messy sheets, gripping Gabe tight around his waist, and grinding their hips together.

A soft groan fell from Gabriel's lips, quickly muffled by Sam's tongue in his mouth, and there it was again. The overwhelming sexual tension that had been there between them since day one, crying for release. They had said nothing would happen as long as they didn't have a plan to deal with their situation.

Well, the plan was set, so nothing could probably stop Sam right now.

Especially not when Gabriel was practically melting in his arms, rubbing his crotch down onto Sam's, and moaning wantonly. Sam's hands found their way into the smaller man's brunette locks, pushing him down even more as his tongue traced the other one's lips and teeth.

As he had stated before, Gabriel was a skilled kisser. Skilled to the point that Sam was still fully clothed and almost on the edge already. It took him merely a few seconds to open the buttons of Gabe's shirt and slide it down his shoulders, throwing it somewhere beside the bed. His hands caressed the soft skin of Gabriel's chest and stomach, slim but muscled, and seeing him like that – straddling his hips, shirtless, mouth parted and panting heavily – drove Sam almost crazy with need.

Gabriel only gave Sam a few moments to look before he bent down to pull Sam's shirt off his upper body, hands traveling to his belt buckle as soon as Sam helped him by shrugging the piece of clothing off. His jeans were halfway down his thighs when he looked back up at Gabriel, and the latter groped him through the thin fabric of his boxers right then.

Sam gasped for air at the touch of Gabe's hand and arched his back. God, he had been single for way too long. His hands practically flew to the smaller man's belt, fumbling to get it open, and Gabe actually moaned deeply when Sam's hands brushed his cock through the fabric for the first time. Sam had to close his eyes and calm down his breathing for a moment, while Gabriel got to his feet to push his pants and immediately scrambled back on top of Sam. Both wore nothing but their boxers now, and Sam could feel Gabriel's hard dick pushing against his own. Their bodies slid together in a fluent, perfect motion, and the delicate friction caused them to moan simultaneously.

"Oh, holy-" Sam cursed under his breath, "finally, Gabe-" he sighed blissfully and his eyes fluttered shut.

"Sammy," Gabriel panted in response. "Sammy, look at me..."

And when Sam opened his eyes again, there was Gabriel's face, merely inches away from his, torn to a beautiful, aroused expression. He quickly closed the gap between their lips, reaching up with his hand to pull Gabe closer and kiss him passionately.

"Gabe... I can't... aaaah... much longer-" Sam's voice broke, only needy little huffs leaving his lips now that Gabriel had reached between their bodies, running along the waistband of Sam's boxers.

His small hand had pushed Sam's boxers down as far as necessary, as well as his own, and now wrapped itself around both their cocks.

Sam groaned deeply and wantonly. The touch of his cock against Gabe's, bare skin on bare skin, rubbing and frotting together, the heat of Gabriel's body on top of him- Sam was gone completely.

"It's okay, Sam," Gabriel answered, whispering in his ear, "Me neither-"

And Gabriel broke down on him, shaking from his orgasm as short, hot spurts hit Sam's stomach and chest. He followed Gabe merely seconds later with a muffled cry as his face was buried in the smaller man's neck, and waves of pleasure rolled through his body repeatedly. Gabriel stroked him through his climax, let him ride out the last delicate aftershocks before he withdrew his hand.

Sam cradled him carefully in his arms and kissed the top of his head. He sighed deeply. "You have no idea how necessary that was."

"I think I can guess," Gabriel answered quietly, pressing a kiss to Sam's chest, which made the latter shiver.

"Oh?" Sam asked back with semi-surprise.

"I think I can relate, Sammy," Gabriel grinned cheekily, which Sam didn't need to see to hear it from the tone of his voice. "Besides, this was only the beginning."

***

When Dean woke up that morning, he couldn't possibly be any more happy. It was Monday, freakin' Monday, and he was as happy as he could be.

'Bucket full o'sunshine,' his uncle Bobby would have called him, and Dean grinned at the thought.

He usually hated Mondays, hated getting up to work, with nothing but five days of work ahead to look forward to. Usually.

But now there was Cas, and Cas had changed everything.

With a joyful whistle, Dean swung his legs out of bed and shut off the alarm clock, before he made his way to the bathroom. He even turned on the radio before reaching for his toothbrush.

Usually, Sam would enter the bathroom about now and shoot a bitter glance at him, hating his Mondays just as much as Dean did. Except he didn't enter now, not today. Dean had him expected to wear a wide grin when he looked at him in the mirror, or a smug smile, after what he'd heard from his brother's room yesterday – unfortunately. Dean screwed up his face at the thought of all the moaning and... no, he didn't want to think about it.

But Sam didn't show up at all, and when Dean was fully dressed, he began to suspect that his brother overslept. So when he left the bathroom, just attaching his watch to his left wrist, he knocked sharply at Sam's door.

"Sammy, get up, time for work!" he said loudly, not daring to open the door. Gabriel was in there as well. No sock was hanging from the door knob, but Dean didn't trust them to not-

And then he heard it. Clear as day, and clearly Sam's voice, moaning loudly, which drifted off into a soft laugh.

Dean was away from the door and making breakfast in the kitchen within seconds. No more questions needed.

After fifteen minutes, Dean currently sitting at the table and diving his fork into scrambled eggs and bacon, Sam somehow managed to show up in the kitchen. But how. His hair was uncombed and sticking up in weird angles, he was clad in his boxers only and his chest and neck and god-knows-what-else showed off a series of purple marks and lovebites and-

Dean just didn't want to think how they got there.

"Morning," Sam yawned and turned towards the kitchen counter with the still-steaming eggs.

"Mornin'," Dean answered with his mouth full. The sight of Sam's back, though, made him almost spit the delicious food over the table. Sam's back was covered with thin, red stripes in pairs of four or five. Oh god. There were things he definitely didn't want to know of, even less seeing the results thereof.

Dean swallowed quickly, washing the eggs down with a good swig of coffee. "You should get a move on, we have to go in a few minutes," he reminded his brother without looking at him.

"No, don't worry. We'll call in later and take the day off," Sam shrugged it off and poured two cups of coffee, before searching for something in the kitchen cabinet.

"We as in - you and Gabriel?" Dean asked suspicious.

"Yeah, sure," Sam answered matter-of-factly while continuing to rummage through the small storage wardrobe that stood beside the fridge.

"So, what, you're taking a day off to fuck?" Dean asked in disbelief.

Sam just grinned. "Basically, yes."

Dean groaned, suppressing the sudden urge to slam his face into his plate. Instead, he covered his face with one hand. Oh, again, the things he didn't want to know. Why had he even asked. Why.

"Well, then just take care of being dressed when I get back from work today. I want to bring Cas," he said quickly before continuing to eat. "And if you're searching for the breakfast tablet, it's on top of the left cabinet."

"Thanks," Sam said quietly, reaching up to find the dusty wooden table. After placing it onto the counter and cleaning it, he put two plates with scrambled eggs and bacon and two cups of coffee on it – Dean was considerate, in the end, so he had made enough breakfast for all of them.

Despite Sam's obvious good-morning-sex and all, Dean couldn't help but smile widely when he went off to work. First, because he was happy for Sam. Second, he would pick up Cas on the way and his boyfriend would see his baby for the first time.

***

Cas was still impressed when they left work that day and he let himself fall down into the passenger seat of the beautiful vintage car. When he had seen it for the first time that morning, he had stared at Dean, completely speechless.

"Wow, is that yours?" he had asked after kissing Dean shortly.

The man with the beautiful green eyes had smiled fondly. "Of course she's mine."

"She?"

"She." Dean had nodded.

"Which model is it- I mean, is she?"

"Chevy Impala '67, got her from my dad the day I passed my driver's license test," Dean answered fondly and patted her roof.

"She's... incredible. And in good condition," Castiel had stated, looking the car over and nodding appreciatively.

"I've been keeping an eye on her," Dean had smiled even wider, obviously having noticed how Cas had called her. "She's my baby."

And Cas had just grinned at that.

So when they drove back home now, he rummaged through the box of tapes that Dean had stuffed beneath the driver's seat, and found an AC/DC one which he immediately inserted. Dean grinned approvingly and stole a short peck from his lips when they had to stop at a red light.

The drive to Dean's apartment didn't take long.

"Ready to meet my brother?" Dean asked as soon as he had pulled the Impala into an empty parking lot.

Castiel took a deep breath. He couldn't really say that he was calm right now, but there was no need to be nervous about meeting Sam and he knew that. Still, he also knew it was important for Dean that Sam liked him. Sam had left thoroughly a nice and friendly impression when they had spoken on the phone. No need to worry.

"As ready as I could probably be," he answered with a lopsided smile.

"Good, then let's go," Dean said and leaving the car. Cas followed quickly, watching Dean lock his car before they met behind the trunk. Without hesitation, Dean took Castiel's hand in his, a move that felt so intimate that it made him shiver. Dean had refused to share any personal touch like this in public – at least not as long as they were around their working place – so it felt even more wonderful right now.

Cas also knew very well that Dean had still got to get used to these kind of touches. Well, not touching in general, he seemed fairly comfortable right now, but the gazes and looks of the people he earned for showing off in public were still new to him. A gay couple holding hands while walking down the street shouldn't be anything special nowadays, but even without holding hands, they turned heads everywhere. Cas had learned to deal with it over the years.

They had reached the third floor in the meantime, and Dean took his keys out of his pocket.

"Let's just hope they're not currently covering the couch in jizz," Dean snarled and rolled his eyes while opening the door to let Cas step in first.

The sight of Sam's and Dean's place was pretty much exactly what Castiel had expected. The furniture was mixed. Obviously both of the brothers had already had a few pieces that they had thrown together, a few newer parts standing out which had apparently been added later. It felt warm and lively, even though it wasn't clean to the last corner. It simply looked like the place of two bachelors should look like. Cas took off his trench coat and put it on the coat rack beside the door before following Dean to the largest room of the flat, which contained the kitchen and living room.

There were two men sitting on the couch, watching TV. The taller – a great deal taller – one had semi-long, dark brown hair and sharp features, a broad chest like Dean's, but in a different way. Whereas the smaller one, currently leaning at the first man's shoulder, had light brown, curly hair, and the edges of his lips were quirked up in an amused expression.

Both looked up when Dean stepped into the living room and greeted them, dragging Castiel along with his hand again laying in his.

Cas looked shyly back and forth between the two men and Dean, until the taller one got to his feet. Dean let go of his hand and Castiel took a tentative step forward.

"Hi, I'm Sam," the tall, dark-haired man introduced himself, reaching out and offering his hand to Cas.

He shook it firmly, feeling Sam reciprocating the handshake the same way, and smiled. "Hello, I'm Castiel. It's an honor to meet you, Sam, I've heard a lot about you."

"Yeah, same here," Sam grinned at him, letting go of his hand. It immediately took the weight off his mind, and he felt a great deal more comfortable.

Then there was the smaller one, obviously Gabriel. With a cheeky smile on his lips, the brunette shook Cas' hand. "The name's Gabriel," he said. "But I guess you know that already."

Cas smiled back, relieved by the easy way of these two. "Yes, Dean has already informed me thoroughly. You're Sam's boyfriend."

A fond look was exchanged between Sam and Gabriel. "Yes, he is," Sam said lovingly and bent down to kiss the shorter man.

Castiel quietly thanked god that he and Dean were pretty much the same height, so he didn't have to almost break his neck every time he wanted to kiss his boyfriend. Which he immediately craved after seeing Sam and Gabriel like this.

Dean had apparently sensed it – or just wanted to tease his brother - because he stepped up behind Castiel and wrapped his arm around his waist. Instinctively, he turned around to look at deep green eyes and a pair of very kissable lips, and leaned back to meet the latter. Just a short peck, but enough to make Dean smile happily.

"Hey, why don't you two get a room?" Sam suggested grinning.

"Oh, look who's talking. I don't even want to know which parts of the furniture I have to disinfect to get the flat clean again. And no," he added quickly, after Sam opened his mouth to answer. "don't even begin to list one. I really don't want to know."

Sam quickly shut his mouth and grinned.

"Don't worry, Dean-o," Gabriel said, though, "if it helps, your bed remained untouched. Not that I would ever want to have sex on that squeaky piece of furniture."

"How do you even know it-"

Sam just laughed. "I thought you didn't want to know?"

"Yeah right. C'mon, Cas, I'll show you the flat," Dean said quickly, ignoring the grin on Cas' lips when he dragged him out of the kitchen.

***

It were the little things that Dean adapted to immediately. Like kissing, holding hands and simply touching Cas whenever he could. Who would've guessed that Dean was actually the cuddly kinda guy? Even when Cas was in the kitchen, cooking or anything, there was always the possibility of Dean sneaking up behind him and spontaneously hugging and squeezing him. Castiel was far from complaining about this, of course.

However there still were other things that baffled Dean, things that he wasn't used to. He yet had to wrap his mind around the idea that he was with another man – for instance, the first moment they woke up together, Tuesday morning after a particularly loud episode of sorts sounding from Sam's bedroom, Dean almost scrambled away when he felt Cas' thoroughly normal morning wood. Just the thought of having another cock involved in all this was new for Dean, and Castiel understood that.

They shared a bed every night from then on, either Dean sleeping over at Cas' place or the other way around – preferably when Sam was staying at Gabriel's. And Dean took it in small steps, one after the other, to get used to the intimacy. Cas had grinned at him when Dean had run his hand over his boob-less chest for the first time, caressing the soft skin and smiling appreciatively when he noticed how sensitive Castiel's nipples were, both to the touch of his fingers as well as the touch of his lips and tongue. Some things never changed, luckily. It was as far as they got that evening, though, and the night had proved to be quite frustrating for Cas.

Dean's steps were agonizingly slow, but Cas knew he had to accept that. Which wasn't much of a problem, he was fairly able to enjoy Dean's adventure of discovering his own gender.

Then there was that morning where Dean had his hand halfway down Castiel's pajama pants. On the back side. Which resulted in Cas jerking awake by a hand squeezing his bare ass and Dean grinning smugly at him when he almost jumped out of bed. It ended in a good-morning-make-out-session complete with french kissing and grinding against each other. Where he also felt Dean stiffen and freeze shortly for a moment when he felt Cas' erection rubbing against his own for the first time.

Castiel just smiled at that. But that smile was pretty quickly kissed off his lips as soon as Dean had decided that it was okay. Because – of course - it was okay.

A Thursday evening brought the next step. It had been one hell of a hot day, and they both returned from work sweaty – and on Dean's part, greasy, because he once again had spent half his day with his head in the AC of the second floor. Not because of the usual problem. And Cas' presence hadn't really made things easier, it seemed.

"I need a shower," Dean announced as soon as they entered Cas' flat.

When their eyes locked, Castiel simply stared at him with an amused smirk on his lips. Slowly, he stepped towards his boyfriend without breaking the eye contact. Dean watched carefully him and something deep within his beautiful green eyes made a shiver run down Cas' spine. He felt the rush of blood to his groin at the same time, and then there was the familiar arousal at seeing Dean showing his desire for him so openly.

Because Cas knew Dean wanted him. He was still hesitant, though, because- well, lack of experience.

Cas had no problem fixing that.

"Are you interested in sharing the shower with me?" he asked, his voice heavy and deep as the words rolled off his tongue.

Dean sighed and reached forward to wrap his arms around Cas' waist, pulling him close. Their foreheads bumped lightly against each other's, but Dean didn't answer, just stared at him some more. The answer was clearly written in the amused sparkle of his eyes and the smirk spreading on his full lips, though. Dean's hands carefully ran up and down Castiel's back, making him shiver with their gentle touch. Then he took a step back and traced Cas' body from head to toe with his eyes.

Cas quickly reached for the hem of his shirt, intending to pull it off, when Dean's hands stopped him. "No. No, Cas, not like this. I've spent so much time thinking of what is underneath these layers, so let me at least enjoy unwrapping my present."

Dean grinned at him, and he couldn't do much but chuckle in response. Strong, calloused hands traveled over his clothing, stoking the sensitive skin underneath on their way over his chest and stomach. They lingered for a moment before slipping under the hem of his shirt and running back up over bare skin, taking the shirt with them. Castiel helped by pulling it over his head once Dean's hands reached his collar bone, noticing Dean's leer at him very well. Dean's hands resumed their task, caressing his upper body gently before his right hand curled around Cas' neck, pulling him into a deep kiss. The tongue sliding along his own in his mouth almost distracted him enough to not notice Dean's fingertips running down his spine and around his waistband to the front of his pants. Dean made quick work of the button and fly before slipping his hands back around and into Cas' pants, pulling them down.

And just the way the green-eyed man looked at him as he took a step back to view his work made Castiel shiver. He wore nothing but his boxers by now, and Cas was suddenly very aware of the fact that his last sexual encounter had been a while ago.

If Dean would stop in the middle of wherever-this-was-leading-to, Cas had no idea what he'd do to him.

So he decided that Dean had had enough time to look and took a step forward, pushing the other man back into the hallway and across it towards the bathroom. While Dean took step after step backwards, guided by Castiel's hands on his hips, the latter delicately stripped him from shirt and jeans, until they reached the shower in their underwear only.

Dean's face was heated and slightly reddened, his pupils dilated and he panted softly. Cas smirked knowingly before he leaned forward, bringing their lips together in a fierce, determined kiss.

And then, both of them seemed to have the exact same idea, placing their hands on each other's hips and pushing down what was left of their clothing.

Castiel felt Dean chuckle lightly into the kiss before leaning back, looking down between their bodies. Both their cocks had sprung free from their confinement, standing demandingly between them but didn't touch. Dean was apparently size comparing in his head – in good will, though, but that was just the way Dean was wired. When he nodded approvingly, Cas grinned and pushed their bodies flush against each other's once more, muffling Dean's groan at the sudden friction with his lips on Dean's.

The door to the shower was opened quickly, and they stumbled into the cabin without even breaking the breathtaking kiss. Dean reached behind his back to start the spray, and when the warm water began to pour over their heated bodies, Cas sighed in contentment.

Dean smirked when he leaned back against the wall, watching his boyfriend with amusement and curiosity – and much thereof – as Cas rinsed his body in the refreshing water. Cas felt the look, but had no intention whatsoever to stop Dean. He might as well enjoy the show. So he grabbed the shower gel, pouring a good amount in his hand and locked eyes with Dean before spreading it over his upper body.

A deep, rumbling groan came from Dean's place against the wall, and he moved forward to take Castiel's hands away and replace them with his own. Now it was Cas' part to moan at the touch. Dean's hands were all over him, slippery and yet so sensitive, caressing every little inch of skin they could reach.

Cas had no idea how far this would take them. But there was that spark in Dean's eyes, a bit of mischief combined with lust, so much lust, and he definitely would be very pissed if he ended up jerking off alone today.

They ended up kissing and leaning against the wall, again, while the spray washed away the shower gel from Castiel's body. Dean moaned heavily as he ground their hips together repeatedly. The friction was delicate but not nearly enough, but Cas didn't want to push, wanted to leave the lead to Dean.

Slumping down against the wall, Dean took Cas down with him, and they ended up sitting in the shower tub. Dean's back was leaning against the wall, and Castiel quickly rested his knees on either side of Dean's thighs, straddling him. When he sunk down onto his boyfriend, Dean watched him admiringly, lips slightly gaping to let out short panted huffs, and he rested his hands on Cas' hips.

"You are so beautiful, Cas," Dean managed to say, his voice deep and rough from arousal, and Castiel felt a rush of blood go straight down to his crotch at hearing this.

"I can gladly return that compliment to you," he answered smiling and noticed how wrecked his voice sounded already.

Dean grinned up at him before pulling him as close as possible to kiss him. Just kissing, no more touching or grinding at the moment, and Cas had already known that Dean was a good kisser, but – well, there hadn't been many men in his life that actually managed to almost make him come just by kissing him. Dean managed it. Almost.

Castiel had to break the kiss to grasp for air at some point, and he panted heavily as he rested his head against Dean's shoulder. The touch of the other man's hands running up and down his back was amplifying Cas' raging hormones, even more so when Dean reached down, cupped his ass and pushed him forward. When Cas moaned loudly, right beside Dean's ear, the latter bit his neck playfully in response.

And then Castiel had leaned back and reached between them with his hand, intending to show Dean something he hadn't had in all his life before.

It was simple, really. Just his hand around both their cocks, stroking and caressing them simultaneously. Dean's head dropped back against the wall immediately, the groan that was about to slip from his lips drifting off in a breathless gasp for air. He pushed upwards into Castiel's hand, the much-needed friction making Cas equally as lightheaded as Dean looked right now.

And then their eyes locked, and Dean sighed. "God, Cas, this won't last long if you keep on doing that."

Cas grinned lopsided and removed his hand, which was immediately commented with a frustrated groan on Dean's side and a look that said 'are you fucking kidding me?'.

He didn't touch either his own nor Dean's cock when he asked the important question that had been lingering in the back of his head for quite some time now. "Dean, have you already considered which part would suit you most? Top or bottom?"

"I don't know," Dean answered immediately, his voice still dripping with desire, "What's the part you prefer?"

"Both have their pros and cons, and basically I'm reversible-"

"Then I guess I'd like to top, at least for the start," Dean blurted out quickly before adding, "but we... we don't do that now, like this, do we?"

A smile tugged at the edges of Cas' lips. "No, not now. I'd rather save it for later, when the circumstances are more comfortable. For now, I just wanted to know because... well, in that case, you might like this."

Castiel raised up on his knees, stabilizing himself with one hand rested against the wall, the other one pushing Dean down by his shoulder, so he was laying a bit deeper in the tub. Subsequently, his hand traveled down to curl around Dean's cock and holding it in place when he sat back down right before it. Sliding a bit back, Castiel let it slip into the crack of his ass. Dean's eyes widened briefly when he realized what Cas was doing, which was followed by a guttural groan the moment Cas thrust down for the first time. The still-pouring warm water provided enough lube-like ability for Dean's member to slip up and down the cleft. With his hand resting over Dean's cock and his butt, Castiel began to ride him cowgirl-style.

Dean picked it up quickly and carefully wrapped his hand around Cas' dick in return, stroking it with firm thrusts. The feeling of Dean's member, so hard against his body, and Dean's hand at the same time caressing his cock was almost too much. Cas groaned hoarsely, feeling his climax building up in his neither regions. One look at Dean, though, told him that he wasn't any further away than Cas himself.

Their eyes locked, and Dean just looked perfect like this. His plush, full lips agape, the trained chest and stomach heaving underneath Castiel's thighs, his beautiful face torn in an expression of pure desire and lust. One more thrust, and Cas sighed before leaning forward.

"I'm going to come," he half-moaned, half-whispered into Dean's ear, and that did it. For both of them.

Cas felt how he was pushed over the edge with one more tug of Dean's hand on his cock, felt the waves of his orgasm roll through his body, again and again, and the hot spurts of Dean's release on his back. A rumbling, uncontrolled moan escaped his lips as he came hard, spilling over Dean's hand and stomach and chest. It took him a while to catch his breath again – which may be related to the fact that Dean had brought their lips together in a languid, lazy kiss.

When Castiel pulled away from the kiss to look at Dean, completely debauched and radiating nothing but pure sex and contentment and still being so very beautiful, he knew that he didn't need anything more than this for the rest of his life.

***

"Now where are my boys?" Mary Winchester asked joyfully as a matter of greeting when she stepped towards her younger son. "God, Sam, you look gorgeous," she added, hugging him and patting his shoulder proudly.

"Thanks, mom," Sam answered, a bit embarrassed. Parents. "Right back at you."

It had been different when Gabe had said it this morning. Mostly because he had put it much more delicately and emphasized it completely otherwise. In his way, of course, by groping Sam through his dress pants. Sam inwardly rolled his eyes and smiled at the memory. What had followed was not listed under the kind of things he wanted to think of when he talked to his mother, though.

But he got the message, he apparently looked good in a tux. And Mary was looking equally drop-dead, wearing a wonderfully silky, deep blue dress, which made her look a good deal younger than she actually was.

"You look happy," Mary stated with a contented smile.

"Yeah... I am," Sam responded, smiling even wider at her.

"How's Gabe?"

The younger Winchester turned around to take a look in the direction where his boyfriend had vanished a few minutes ago. He currently stood with his back towards Sam. "He's fine. We're fine, if that's what you wanted to ask."

"Oh, why would I ask that? You two couldn't be any more obvious."

"Because you're my mom, and you worry? Like, all the time? Always have, always will?" Sam grinned.

Mary shook her head, blond locks of hair flopping back and forth on her shoulders. Then she nudged her son wordlessly with her elbow before turning around and looking around the beautiful garden.

"Dean's over there, mom," Sam said and pointed towards the rows of white chairs and the rose arch that was set a couple feet away. Dean currently sat in the front row, beside Cas.

Mary blinked slowly. Sam smiled to himself, already knowing that she would cry during the ceremony. John Winchester was currently making his way down the aisle, apparently intending to talk to his older son. He also wore a classic back tux, just as Dean and Castiel did, but theirs were topped with a red rose attached to the front of their pockets. Only theirs. The rest of them wore white ones.

Sam smiled to himself. Yes, he was happy, in every way.

"So, how is working from home?" Mary inquired.

"Pretty good," Sam nodded. "Gabe takes my files to work and brings the new ones when he gets home, which works out just fine. I don't have too much to do at my current part-time job."

"And else? Pretty busy, I guess?" she grinned cheekily up at him.

"You should know best, you had two of that kind," Sam grinned back at her.

"Yeah, right."

"What're you talking about?" Gabriel asked, showing up right behind Sam.

Mary hugged him tightly before she bent down. "Hi there, honey," she said gently to the child clutching Gabriel's hand.

"Nana!" the toddler chimed as a matter of greeting, immediately letting go of Gabriel's hand and wrapping his little arms around Mary's neck. She lifted him up and held him gently to her side.

"Have you been nice to your daddies?" she asked, pinching his little, reddened cheek.

He just nodded slightly and continued to suck at his thumb. That was a habit that Sam definitely had to break him loose of. But well, he was just about 18 months old, there was still time.

"He always is," Sam confirmed, carefully running his hand over his son's curly blond hair. He looked totally adorable in his tiny suit, and it was a miracle that they had managed to keep it clean until now.

Gabriel's hand reached for Sam's, and he gladly took and squeezed it.

'A lot can happen in three years,' Sam had once said, and he had been right.

Dean still was the janitor, Cas was still working at the call-center and Sam and Gabe still were lawyers. But apart from that, everything had changed. When Sam's senior boss had retired, Sam was promoted and was now responsible for a different part of the law department. He had cut back his work amount pretty soon after that, because despite the fact that now Gabriel wasn't his direct superior any more, they had plans.

Their house, the one Gabe had been living in alone for years and Sam had moved into after a few months, had suddenly seemed scarily empty. Somehow. After two years, Sam had found himself frequently standing in the doorway to a previously unoccupied room and thinking.

"What's up, Sammy?" his boyfriend had asked when he had noticed it one day.

"I'm just thinking," Sam had answered and pulled Gabriel into his arms.

"About?"

"About what we could do with this room."

"And what's the result of your pondering?" Gabriel had asked again and kissed his neck, where he had rested his head.

Sam had felt his heart pounding like crazy in his chest. The idea had been there for years and years, and he had never thought he'd be able to pursue it, but finally voicing it? Was damn hard. And scary. He had swallowed hard before answering. "Don't you think this room would look kinda nice if we paint the walls yellow or apply some orange wallpaper or something and put a little dresser and changing table over there-" he had motioned to the left- "and a small bed over there-" he had waved towards the other wall, "and fix a mobile to the ceiling, and replace the floorboards with a streets-playing-carpet, you know, the kind of carpet you can drive little toy cars around on?"

Gabriel had looked up at him with what had to be the world's most endearing joyful grin on his lips. "Is that your way of telling me that you want to raise a child with me?"

Sam had simply reciprocated the smile, stunned and still a little scared of the idea.

"Because if that's the case, I'll opt for blue walls. Wallpaper is just... ew, no. Would look like some crappy motel room, and who would want that?" Gabriel had added.

And there was nothing else Sam had been able to do in that moment than to scoop his boyfriend up in his arms, spin them around and laugh loudly. And there he had been thinking he wouldn't be able to become any happier.

Not long after that they had adopted little Elijah, half a year old at the time, an unfortunate orphan. Although Sam had been the one who stayed at home and worked part-time, Gabriel had bonded immediately with the small boy. He just shared the childish humor, and why wasn't Sam surprised by that. And although his life had become more and more stressful from then on, it had also become utterly perfect.

Elijah had entangled his little hands in Mary's hair in the meantime, which made Gabriel chuckle. She quickly lifted the toddler up so he wouldn't be able to pull on them before holding him close again. He smiled happily, and the sight of his son playing with his grandma made Sam's chest swell.

Shortly after they had adopted Elijah, Dean and Cas had announced that they were going to marry. Which had come up, because it was still Dean they were talking about, during the four of them watching football on TV.

"Sam," Dean had begun, staring at the label of his bottle of beer, which he had partly torn off by then, "would you... would you be my best man?" The words came out quiet and a bit shy, as if Dean was worried what Sam would say.

Not that there was any other possibility than saying Yes to that.

"You're going to marry?" Sam had asked back, staring from Castiel to Dean and back.

"Yes, I... kinda proposed," Dean had smiled lopsided at Cas and had pulled his boyfriend closer. Castiel had smiled widely in return.

"Kinda?" Sam had raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, well, it slipped out," Dean had grinned and would probably defend this to the day he died, but he had blushed then and there.

Sam had laughed. "Yes, of course I'll be your best man."

And then, the craziness that was planning a wedding had started.

Sam never thought he would be able to argue about the color of the roses that they intended to decorate the aisle with. Cas voted for white, which Dean found too cheesy – Sam threw in that a rose arch per definition was cheesy – and said he preferred classic red roses.

In the end, Gabriel had the final word and chose the red ones. One of the few times he actually was on Dean's side.

Despite that, he ended up as Cas' best man. Because the two men had become pretty good friends, a rare occasion for someone as quiet and seclusive as Castiel, but the loud, cheeky behavior of Gabriel brought out the best in him. They had liked each other from day one, and one or two arguments about the color of the flower ornaments couldn't change that.

Sam noticed he had drifted off when Gabriel took Elijah from Mary's hands and said, "Let's go and annoy Uncle Cas and Uncle Dean a bit, huh?" He stole a kiss from Sam's lips before strolling off towards the place they had set up for the ceremony.

Mary sighed, contented and happily, and Sam turned back to her.

"He is a wonderful father, you know that?" she said, looking after Gabriel and the toddler in his arms.

"Yeah. I knew that even before we had Elijah," Sam answered.

"You are a great dad, for that matter," Mary added quickly. "And I think John is just as happy for you than I am."

Sam chuckled lightly and buried his hands in his pockets, where his fingers met a smooth, small box. He found his heart immediately jumping to a higher pace at the thought of what he was about to do today.

And seriously, he knew that parents, especially mothers, seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to their children, but he didn't expect Mary's next question. "I hope you don't mind if I ask that direct, but... are you contemplating marriage?" she looked up at him with a cheeky sparkle in her eyes.

Sam turned around wordlessly as he took the box out of his pockets and opened it, holding it so Mary saw its content.

"Oh, Sam," he sighed happily and hugged her younger son out of reflex, "when?"

"During the best man's speech," Sam swallowed and smiled, closing the box with the silver ring and putting it back in his pocket.

"Really? You really want me to cry two times today?" Mary grinned and nudged Sam's side teasingly.

"At least," Sam grinned back.

***

Dean took a sideways glance at his soon-to-be husband, and Cas looked back with a wide smile on his lips and his blue eyes shining happily. Then he leaned in and kissed Dean, lips warm and soft against the other man's, and Dean just knew that this was all he wanted for the rest of his life.

It had been the right thing to do, asking Castiel to marry him, and going through with that plan.

The proposal had just... happened. He hadn't planned anything, but the wish had been there, had always been there. The dream to life a live with a wife and a house and 1.4 kids and a cat... By now, they had the house – just a block away from Gabe's and Sam's - they had the cat, and the wife had turned out to be a husband instead. So what. When Dean looked at Cas, he knew he was the one. The only one he'd ever wanted and needed. And when exactly that had hit him one evening a few months ago during post-sex cuddling, he had looked at Cas, who had snuggled up into his chest, and burst out: "Cas, do you want to marry me?"

And when his boyfriend had gaped at him, completely stunned, Dean had realized how random that question had been. "I just, uh, you know... I love you, more than anything, and I-" he had tried to explain, stammering, but Castiel had quickly shut him up with a passionate kiss.

"Yes," his boyfriend had said firmly after pulling away.

"Yes as in... 'Yes, I'll marry you, Dean'?" Dean had asked, barely conceiving what was happening, while a smile had worked its way onto his lips.

"Yes, I'll marry you, Dean. I want to be your husband, I want to spend the rest of my live with you, and I love you."

Dean's stomach still tingled when he thought of Cas' words, spoken so surely in the darkness of their bedroom.

Right then, John Winchester stepped up in front of them and cleared his throat.

"Hello, John," Cas said, smiling up.

Dean just grinned at his dad.

"Hey, you two," John answered. "Ready for your big day?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Dean answered before looking over at his boyfriend, "... I guess."

Castiel squeezed his hand lightly. "As ready as we could probably be."

John chuckled lightly. "You know, back when I tied the knot with Mary, I was nervous as hell at this point. So don't try to hide anything from me," he winked.

Dean had to lie if he said he wasn't nervous, but-

"But I knew I was about to do the best thing I ever could in all my life, so it was fine," John added.

At that moment, Cas smiled lopsided at Dean and leaned his head against Dean's shoulder. Instinctively, Dean rested his head against Cas', and yes, he totally understood what John meant. Smiling up at his dad, Dean simply nodded, and John gave him a heartfelt smile and a pat on the shoulder.

"I'll go and call for the marriage registrar, if that's fine with you," John said, already turning halfway around towards the aisle.

"Of course," Dean nodded.

When John had backed away, Dean looked to his side, into Cas' baby blue eyes, the ones that still managed to stun him after all those years. He would marry this man in a few minutes, and he was the happiest he could ever be.

Big Bad World zero, Dean and Cas: one.

The only downside of this day was that they planned it one week too early. There was that one big matter they couldn't tell anyone about. Not today, not yet. But really, who could've known that the surrogate mother they found would turn the third month of her pregnancy not before next week?

THE END.


End file.
